


Tied By Affection

by HxneiBee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Battle of Hogwarts Aftermath, Blow Jobs, Bottom Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Draco Malfoy is Bad at Feelings, Draco Malfoy is Obsessed with Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy is a Good Boyfriend, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Gay, Gay Character, Gay Panic, Gay Sex, Harry Potter is So Done, Harry Potter is a Good Boyfriend, Harry is a Good Friend, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Pansy Parkinson, M/M, Oral Sex, Pansy Parkinson is a Good Friend, Rimming, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Top Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HxneiBee/pseuds/HxneiBee
Summary: *Warning* This book includes 18+ explicit content!After the war, the students return to Hogwarts to finish their term; some on their last term. The now, 8th-year trio, would spend most of their days wandering around the castle or going to Hogsmeade to get drunk senseless on both alcohol and sweets. Draco, now painfully aware of his feelings towards Harry Potter, decided to watch idly by while he laughed at his friends jokes, danced with them carelessly drinks in hand. Draco wanted to be the one he laughed with, Draco wanted to be the one he danced with, he wanted to be the one to help Potter down those cold and broken cobblestone steps outside Honeydukes and not one of his friends; How desperately Draco wanted to be the one to wrap his arm around Harry's waist and guide him to their next destination. But he would just watch like he always did, yerning for that one touch he had always fantasized about.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 76





	1. Hogsmeade Retreat

The blistering cold air hit pale cheeks as Draco stepped out of the warm confines of the Hogwarts castle. His cheeks flush from the sudden drop in temperature, his chin tucking slightly further into the dark green and bright silver scarf that was hung rather slack around his neck and placed gingerly on his shoulders. His pale blue eyes flicked up to the snow riddled sky, his eyelashes hitting the tops of his eyelids as he stared at the light grey clouds. He let out a heavy sigh as he stepped down cobble stairs, his right arm hooked gently around his shoulder bag as he made his way through the main courtyard. A rather short bob of black hair followed behind Dracos heels, a sly smirk on the female's lips as they walked in silence. She slid up to Dracos side and clung to his left arm, her eyes batting up to look at Draco. "Draco dear, it's rather cold out today, mind holding me?" Pansy Parkinson asked, her small smirk growing slightly when Draco shoved her off his arm. "Bugger off Pansy, you have a robe." He huffed, his arms folding into a tight cross over his chest as he walked to the rather large and elderly oak tree that was just shy of the middle of the courtyard. The golden yellow and dark orange leaves were scattered about the cobble street, scuttering across the stone when a gust of wind blew into the enclosed area.

Draco sat down on the short stone wall that surrounded the oak tree, he leaned against the strong wood, his eyes snapping shut as he took in a breath of the icy air. Pansy plopped down beside the blond, placing her side bag beside her feet and crossing one leg over the other gracefully. "So, tell me about your new problem with Potter, I can see how lost in thought you are; you kind of look like you've been holding in a massive shit since this morning." She muttered, flexing her palm towards the wall to get a look at her black-painted nails. Draco scoffed, his arms flattening down to his sides as he leaned his head against the bark of the tree, digging his fingers into the thin material of his robe.

"Don't be repulsive, and what new problem? Bloody hell, Pansy you act like I have a problem with the prat every second of the day." He retorted, his eyes sliding open to shoot an icy stare over at the female but her clear signs of being completely unbothered made Draco look forward to the same wall Pansy was pushing her palm out to. 

Pansy merely gave Draco a sideways glance and sighed, her dainty fingers going up to her hair to curl around the small strands she could manage to grab at the moment, "You _always_ have a problem with him. Draco you're practically obsessed with the lad; you stared at him with such longing this morning across the table." She snorted, shaking her head so her hair tossed from side to side.She dug her right elbow into Draco's side, his body tensing as the jab stung his side slightly, making a small circle of skin tingle with prickles.

Draco huffed out a hot breath, his eyes averting towards the ground as he kicked an invisible pebble from the crevice of two stones coming together. "I was just staring into empty space where Potter _happened_ to be, not my problem the bloke is everywhere!" He blurted out, his voice raising an octave or two as his arms slightly go up into the air. Draco bit the inside of his lip as he settled his arms back to his side and slouched even further into the tree. Pansy only snickers slightly and shrugged her boney shoulders, "I was only teasing. I have news," She hummed, leaning down to Draco's ear so wandering students couldn't hear the thing she was going to tell him. "Potter and his friends are going to Hogsmeade tonight, and I was graciously invited by their friend Luna. She said I could bring a guest if I felt uncomfortable. Oh Draco, you would leave me alone with the rays of sunshine would you?" she questioned, faked worry laced her tone. 

Draco felt his mouth go dry as Pansy spoke in a soft, low tone at his ear. His eyebrows drew close together as he glanced over at the greenish-blue eyes waiting longingly for a response. Draco shook his head slowly, his eyes flicking over her expression, "Absolutely not, have you gone bloody insane?" He asked, his left eye twitching ever so slightly at the thought of being surrounded by all of Potters friends; elbows and knees pushed roughly together due to the tight confines of the circular table they would most likely sit at. Draco's mind wandered to the wonderful thought of being pushed beside Harry, his friends shoving them closer together as they jumped out of their seat in a response or to say something 'hilarious'.

Pansy merely settled back to her original position leaned against the tree. "I'm not insane, I'm trying to get you something more than just stares from the other end of the Great Hall or following him in the halls to try and get a good look at that devilishly good looking smile he wears on those pretty pink, plump, lips." She said, her voice lowering into a teasing tone as he described Harry's lips and smile. She looked down at Draco's adam's apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed his saliva hard. She let out a satisfied hum from the small reaction she could muster from the blond and crossed her arms just below her chest, her eyes sliding closed quickly. "If you come, they'll all be drinking, which means you can look at him longingly and just blame it on the alcohol effects." She added, making a pretty valid point. _If_ Draco went- scratch that- if Draco even _considered_ going, he would definitely blame any weird things he would do or say on the immense amount of alcohol he would consume.

It was a Thursday, which meant tomorrow was Friday (obviously) and that in turn meant that Draco wouldn't be able to sleep in the hangover he would most definitely get. He ran a calloused hand down his face, dragging the bottom of his eyelids down slightly as he pulled at his rosy cheeks. "We're sitting at a different table entirely, act like you weren't invited and you just decided a fun night out with me on a Thursday evening would be good." He practically ordered, looking over to Pansy with a clearly forced nonchalant expression. She smiled wide, the snake-like grin making her cheeks puff up slightly. Her eyes opened and she stood abruptly, looking down at Draco, "Of course, dear. Wouldn't want to ruin your chance to _glance_ at the lad." she hummed quietly and bent down to pick up her leather bag. Draco scoffed and shook his head quickly, rather unimpressed at Pansy's attempt to get him riled up.

\-----

After his short study season with Blaise, Draco reluctantly dragged himself to the Slytherin common room. Pansy was sitting on the dark leather couch, the orange flame of the fire made her skin glisten brightly, her arms and legs freshly shaved making it look like she had no body hair. She wore a tight red dress that cupped her form perfectly, It stopped just above the knee, the small strapped tight to her boney shoulders. She showed off a toothy grin and shoved Draco up to his room, waiting impatiently outside the door. "Parkinson! Did you go through my clothes!" He shouted, more of an angry comment than a question. She let herself slip a small smile as she leaned on the closed door. "I may have set out a nice outfit I think Harry would like. Why, problem?" She asked, her voice laced with cockiness which made Draco's eyebrow draw close together. After staying silent for a short while, he let out a defeated sigh and pulled the nicely folded grey button-up over his arms. He pushed each button gently through the slits that were made for them. He shimmed out of his uniform pants and slid into the freshly washed black dress pants. He looped a black belt around his waist, passing it through each pant loop, sinching it together tightly.

After taking a small amount of time to fix his already nicely tamed hair, he stared at himself in the body mirror that stood just before the exit of the room. He instinctively flatted down invisible creases in his shirt as he made his exit, grabbing a coat quickly before he closed the door to his dorm room. Pansy smiled wickedly at her work of the outfit and linked her arm with Dracos, dragging him down the spiral staircase and out of the common room. As they made their way to the train that would take them to Hogsmeade, Draco gulped at how uncomfortable the tightness of the shirt around his neck felt. He inched his hand up to unbutton the first two buttons of the shirt, but Pansy whacked his hand away quickly, making the blond hiss and withdraw his hand back to his pant pocket. "Don't touch, you can unbutton when you start drinking." She ordered, boarding the train in one swift step, clearly not needing Draco's help to step up the two steps. He followed her closely, glancing in closed-off cabins before they took their seats in an empty one.

The ride was short, though Draco had wished it were longer, with the now very noticeable nervous pit digging into his stomach. He bit the inside of his cheek as the got off the train, his eyes darting around to try and find that familiar black rat nest of hair or those magnificent green eyes that Draco couldn't help finding himself lost in, or that slim figure Draco couldn't help thinking about his hands forming perfectly to every dip or blemish on his body. Luna Lovegood first spotted Pansy, making her run over to the female. She smiled brightly before her smile dropped slightly when her eyes set onto Draco. He figured that's what would happen, immediate regret to inviting Pansy with the option to 'bring a guest' probably filling her head. The silence was almost unbearable, the only sound being the crickets chirping in the night air or the small whispering of friend groups going between buildings. "Hello Luna, thank you for inviting me. I hope you don't mind Draco tagging along." She said with a snakey smile, her head tilting in acted out uncertainty, she was definitely a Slytherin.

Luna shook out of her trance and looked Pansy in the eye, her smile returning full force as she shook her head quickly. "Not at all! Come, we're going to start at the Three Broomsticks!" She said, skipping off towards the building.Pansy gripped Draco's wrist and tugged him along, his feet tumbling slightly on each other before he steadied himself to match her pace. She opened the door, the warmth of the pub flushing over both Draco and Pansy quickly, making him want to take off his coat immediately. Pansy glanced around before spotting the very full round table in the corner. She started a steady pace towards the table before she felt Draco tug out of her small grip. She twisted around to give Draco a confused look before she looked down at the two-person table to their right. "This is fine." He muttered and sat down, crossing his elbows on the table. She scoffed and plopped down in the wooden chair, her arms crossing tight on her chest. "We came here because you finally grew some balls." She groaned, placing her crossed forearms on the table to lean in and look at Draco. He snorted and shook his head quickly, "No we came here so we could drink and I could look, that's all. I doubt he even knows I'm here; he hasn't even looked." He huffed, his elbows pushing hard into the wood.

Pansy bit off a rather rude remark she wanted to say just before a waitress came over to the table to take their drink orders. They both decided a nice Fire Whiskey would do them wonders, Draco more thought it would help him calm his rising nerves. He snuck quick glances over to the table that had way too many people snuggled in around it. Draco grimaced at the closeness of Neville Longbottom and Harry, they were practically snogging with how close their lips came when they turned towards one another. When the glasses of Fire Whiskey was placed in front of both of them, Draco gripped the cold glass firmly and drew the rim to his lips, closing his eyes to take down the burning liquid. He gave a soft hum at the fond taste before his eyes slid open and the cup was being placed back down on the table. He hadn't had a nice drink in quite a while since he mostly stayed out of public places. After the war, people mostly forgave one another for anything that happened, of course, the exceptions being most of the Slytherins, Draco included.

He found himself liking being tucked away from the large crowd, usually, in crannies he found no one would visit. He ran a hand through his combed back and gelled hair as he snuck another glance over at Harry, this time their eyes met. Draco paused, his eyes never leaving Harrys' and Harry doing the same for what felt like forever. He soon cocked an eyebrow slightly before he looked back down to the orange liquid in his glass. He heard shuffling at the table, making his curiosity spike but he kept his head down. Harry made his way over to the table Draco and Pansy shared, giving the two Slytherins a sweet smile. "Malfoy, I didn't expect you to be here?" He asked, putting most of his weight on his left leg which Draco noticed he'd do a lot. Luna skipped over to their table with a bright smile, "Harry, I invited them!" She said, tilted her head to get a better look at Pansy. Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise and rubbed the back of his untamed hair, letting out a soft giggle that made Draco's heart skip a beat. "Oh! I didn't know, you should've told me, Luna! Why don't you join us over here?" Harry asked, pointing to the round table behind him.His friends had stopped their loud blabbering to look over at the event unfolding. Draco bit the inside of his lip and looked up to meet Harry's expectant gaze. "We'd lov-" Pansy started, shocked to hear Draco pitch in his two sense. "Sod off, Potter." He muttered out before he rose quickly and exited the pub.   
  
The pang in Draco's chest when he stepped out the door was sharp and unforgiving. What an absolute idiot he was, ruining his chances of talking to the lad tonight. Draco pressed his back on the slightly rough and barely sturdy walls of the Three Broomsticks, his warm breath coming out in a fleeting, misty cloud that dispersed quickly through the air. A gust of wind blew through the valley of buildings, the air hitting his cheek like miniature needles. He drew his coat closer together as he looked down at his feet, he didn't just want to leave the place, he didn't want to leave Pansy who was still sitting in there most likely muddled due to Draco's actions. He bit the inside of his cheek and let out a frustrated huff of breath, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. The tips of his fingers were starting to turn pink, the cold thin air bitting chills through his hands. When he heard the ringing of the bell of the pub's door, he looked up quickly while squinting to get a better look at who it was.   


Pansy let out a sharp grunt as she crossed her arms and leaned on the frame of the door, letting the door hit her hip and stay there. She shook her head at the sight, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked. "You are an absolutely wanker, Draco Malfoy." She groaned, walking down the small brick stairs to lean beside Draco. The golden hue from the street lamps hit her face as she tossed her head to the side slightly to get the black strands of hair out of her face. "Seriously, you just tell him to 'sod off' and then you walk out? It's almost like you don't want to talk to the bloke." She snorted and allowed her lips to curve into a small smile at the thought. 

Draco only sighed again, letting his chin hit his collarbones as he lowered his head. He knitted his eyebrows, picking at a small thread on the cuff of his coat, a small and quiet hum coming from his throat as he listened to her. That was entirely false, Draco really wanted to talk to him, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was because Draco was too bloody self-centered (in Pansy's eyes), or maybe it was because he was truthfully too nervous to actually talk to him normally due to their history. He rubbed the back of his whitish blond hair and let out another sigh, his eyes pulling up to look at Pansy who was staring out in the street at the falling snow. Of course, it was snowing tonight, it was almost always snowing during winter here. Draco detested the cold, how it wrapped around your body so quickly anytime you stepped out of the door, how quickly it would send you into fits of shivers while walking around. Yet again, he wasn't too fond of the warmth either, he didn't like the clamminess of his or other people's hands, and he didn't like having to take off layers because he was too bloody hot.

Pansy's expression grew soft as she glanced at Draco from the corner of her eye, he truly looked pitiful. She steadied her tone when she opened her mouth to speak, "You know, he was quite shocked when you walked out. He definitely wanted to talk to you," She hummed, biting her lip as she watched his expression carefully. "He has probably been wanting to talk to you, Draco. But you push him away all the time because you're afraid you'll hurt him again.." She brought up, clearly hitting a soft spot. Draco winced as he went to grab his left forearm; squeezing tight. The dark mark still there but always covered up, it didn't change the fact that it was still there and prominent as ever. Pansy reached over to grab Draco's hand that was placed on his forearm, giving it a firm squeeze. Draco shook her hand away and dropped his hand to his side, looking down at the brick road. Harry always had that smile on his face, like he was supposed to be happy for everyone while all the other students sat in darkness due to the war. Draco hated that, he hated the fact that Potter remotely thought he was supposed to be the pick-me-up even after he saved all of the Wizarding World. 

Draco hated Harry, he hated that stupidly good looking face, he hated that small smile he would always have on those lips, that god awful hair he wouldn't even try to tame, that laugh that came out of his mouth at any joke his friends made; he loved that he hated him. Draco scoffed quite dramatically as he turned away from the female and stormed back inside. He sat down at the table that Pansy and he had occupied, gripped at the cold glass again. He didn't look at that table in the corner, fearing he would meet those amazing emerald eyes. Those eyes that he imagined the little gold flakes dancing around the perfectly circular shape, those eyes he wishes he could stare into without fearing Harry would stare back with a disgusted look on his face; the eyes he wanted to look back at him with the fondness he flashed to his friends. Draco squeezed the glass and brought it up to his lips, downing the amber liquid quickly just to feel that familiar burn it gave him at the back of his throat. Pansy had made her way back to the table after coming inside, some tiny snowflakes stuck to her shoulders. She let out a sigh as she saw the expression Draco had plastered on his face, it was upmost focus on the glass in his hand. He clearly did not want to think about anything else at that moment, fearing he might just storm back to the castle instead. 

Finally, he looked up from the glass at the table. They were all laughing, their cheeks puffy and pink from the alcohol. Harry had his arm around Ron as they rocked back and forth, their clothes bunching up from the friction of the leather seat and fabric. Pansy cleared her throat, which made Draco looked over at her quickly. His lips curved into a frown as she looked at him expectantly, "Are we seriously going to sit over here lonely? They seem like they are having so much fun over there.." She whined, her eyebrows pulling close together as she glared at the blond. Draco sighed and nodded, gaining the waitress's attention so he could get another pour of Fire Whiskey. Draco noticed how drunk the bunch already was, he noticed how close everyone was and how they downed drink after drink. Draco stood abruptly and walked around the small table that was in between pansy and him, "I need a bloody shot, care to join me?" he asked, looking over her greenish-blue orbs before walking over to the bar. Of course Pansy wanted to join him, she wouldn't leave or move if Draco didn't leave or move even if she clearly wanted to. He leaned on the table, having grabbed his glass of Fire Whiskey before he walked over here. He tapped the shiny wood at the bartender, flashing him a small forced smile. "Three Vodka shots." He said as he raised his voice so he could be heard over the music blasting in the pub. Pansy smirked at the fact that the blond ordered muggle alcohol and patted Dracos back hard, "Make that five. Draco dear, you can't have all the fun, I want to get sozzled too." She chimed in, looking at the bartender with a soft smile. He shook his head and pulled out five shot glasses.

The male across the bar poured the clear liquid to the brim of each glass, looking at the two in almost pitty. He put the bottle away and walked away to a couple that stumbled up to the counter. Draco shot Pansy a quick look before he quickly bottomed down each shot. He slammed down the last glass and coughed, hitting his chest hard. Whatever that liquor was, he was pretty sure vodka, was bloody strong and would definitely get him blackout drunk. Pansy followed in suit with a smile on her lips, she gingerly placed the glasses down and let out a breath, "Wowie! Muggles know where it's at!" She said, giggling slightly as she yelled over the music. Draco nodded with a frown as he felt a hand placed on the small of his back, making him flinch slightly at the contact. Luna had her hands on both Pansy and Draco, a friendly smile curled on her lips. "We're going to Honeydukes if you'd like to join us!" She informed, her speech slurred due to the alcohol she had consumed. Pansy's eyes widened as she looked at the blonde female, she was surprised. Why would she still invite them to wherever they were going when it seemed they clearly wanted nothing to do with the group. Before Draco could even utter a word, Pansy parted her lips, "Of course we'd love to!".

Luna nodded and ran back to the big group, helping people out of the round leather seat. Draco shot Pansy a quick glare before he straightened his back. "You're insufferable." He groaned, before pushing himself off the bar. Pansy snorted and shoved Draco out of the Three Broomsticks following behind the group of drunkards. Harry stumbled on his feet slightly, his giggle ringing in Draco's ear. Draco bit his lip as Pansy hooked her arm around his, dragging him along to the candy store across the street. Harry looked back, eyes locking with Dracos and neither of them looked away. Harry shot him a smile, the corners of his eyes getting tiny, almost unnoticeable wrinkles that made Draco want to hover his fingers over them. He licked his lips, watching Harry pat Ron's shoulder a bit before he stopped in his tracks to wait up for the two. Pansy's lips curved up as she forced Draco forward, unwinding her arm from Dracos. "I assume you have enough drink in you to face me now, Malfoy." He giggled and gave Pansy a nod for a greeting. "Hey, Harry," She said before looking at both boys with a wicked smirk, "I'll meet you in the store," she added, leaving Draco alone with his 'forever enemy'. 

Draco swallowed hard as he watched Pansys back before she disappeared into the store. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his coat pocket, averting his eyes from Potters. "Yes well, I would need to be bloody sozzled to talk to you properly." He scoffed, his tone harsh as almost as he wanted the boy to walk away. Harry only let out a giggle as he stepped forwards a bit so the tips of their shoes were touching. That action made Dracos breath hitch as he looked into those emerald eyes he so desperately wanted to look at all evening. "I guess you're sozzled then." He smirked and slid beside Draco in one quick motion. "Walk with me?" He asked, taking a slow step forward to see if Draco would follow. Draco slowly stepped forward, following Harry's stride. "I didn't know you fancied sweets." He muttered, trying to fill their silent walk to Honeydukes. Draco snorted and shook his head, "I bloody despise sweets." He retorted, watching Harry's smile fade from the corner of his mouth. Draco knew Harry actually quite liked sweets, watching him dig into them at the feasts in the Great Hall.

Harry took in a sharp breath as they walked, getting closer to the store with each wide stride. "Well, you might want to try a few in here. They have some pretty mild sweet things too." He added, pointing a finger up to the sky as he spoke. Draco shrugged his shoulder and walked into the store, stopping slightly so he could hold the door for Harry. Harry's eyes sparkled with something Draco had never seen before as he grabbed the door just above Draco's hand. Draco slipped his hand from the door as he watched Harry slide past him in the thin doorframe. "Thanks," He hummed and close the door behind himself. Draco nodded and parted ways with Harry to look for Pansy. Pansy was looking at the chocolate frogs with a glint in her eye before she looked up to meet Draco's gaze. She smirked wide and slid her hand on Dracos bicep, patting it a few times to try and get the blond to speak up. "So, spill! What did you two talk about? Or did you bite your tongue and walk away from him like always?" She whispered, her tone laced with excitement. 

Draco cleared his throat and bent down to get on face level with Pansy, "Well... it was kind of just small talk. Said I should try some of the sweets here.." He filled in, the edges of his lips struggling to keep a frown. "Draco, don't buy the whole bloody store now. Maybe get him his favorite candy, you know that right?" She asked, looking around the store to look at each head. Draco thought for a moment before he shook his head quickly. "No bloody clue..." He muttered and rubbed the back of his neck. Pansy looked at him in surprise and pulled him closer to let out a hushed yell. "You don't even know his favorite candy?! Christ, Draco you're a lost cause." She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, squeezing her eye shut as she thought. "Maybe just get some lemon drops, everyone loves those." She suggested and let go of his bicep as her eyes fluttered open. She pointed a sharp finger over to the lemon drops and gave him a glare before browsing the rest of the store. 

Draco gulped his eyes slowly going over to look at the lemon drop packages. He rubbed his neck and walked over to them, looking down at the bright yellow box. When Harry slid up beside him, Draco jumped in surprise as their arms pressed together. Their hands brushed ever so slightly together, making the blond jolt his hand away in a swift motion. Harry gave him a weird glance before shaking it off to look down at the lemon drops. He licked his lips and looked up at Draco, a smile on his lips that never seemed to leave. "You like lemon drops? I like them too, they have the right amount of sweet and sour mix." He hummed as he fantasized about the taste of the yellow squishy candy. He picked a box and shook it a little in the air at Draco before turning on his heels to walk towards the cashier. Draco cursed at himself, clearly not having the courage to speak up and ask the bloke if he wanted a box of them before he bought a box for himself. Draco snatched a box and walked up to the cashier after Harry left. Draco placed the box on the counter and dug in his pocket for ten bronze Knuts. He placed them on the counter before snatching the box again and stuffing it in his pocket, maybe he could offer when Harry ran out of the ones he just bought. 

After about fifteen minutes of the agonizing sweet smell, they all left the sweets shop decided a trip to The Hog's Head's would be a good third stop. Draco, now heavily feeling the effects of the two cups of Fire Whiskey and three shots of Vodka, stumbled slightly on his feet at a slightly uneven brick on the road. Pansy gripped his back and pulled him along with a huff, clearly being annoyed at how much of a lightweight Draco was. "Geez Draco, who knew an ex death-eater would be such a lightweight." She joked as she dragged the blond along and into the pub. Draco whacked the back of her head and pushed himself away from her grip, "Bugger off." He groaned, sitting down at the table they all decided would work for the size of their group. Pansy smiled as she went to sit down, noticing Harry was also about to sit down. She smirked and back up, extending her arm to show Harry towards the seat beside Draco. "You can sit down," She hummed and watched him sit himself down beside Draco muttering something along the lines of 'Thank you'. She waited for the other to sit before she took her seat on the outside of everyone. Draco straightened himself up, stiffening at the touch of their elbows on the table. "I think some butterbeer would be good right now, we need to pace ourselves." Hermione chirped, giving a soft nod when everyone agreed to it except Ron and Harry. 

Harry slouched into the comfortable chair and sighed, shaking his head rather quickly "Who wants to pace themselves, I want to be wasted when I go back to Hogwarts." He whined, crossing his arms tight over his chest. Draco glanced over at Hermione, who wore an annoyed expression as she retorted back with a snarky remark. Draco then looked down slightly at Harry, who was shivering quite noticeably. Draco furrowed his brows and looked at the table, fidgeting with his thumbs as the others bickered around them. Draco did not expect to be squeezed up to Harry tonight, he expected to get a few drinks and head back to the castle annoyed that he didn't speak up to Harry. 

After what seemed like ages, the butterbeer was being placed in front of each person at the table which clearly upset the brunette beside him. Draco picked up the foaming tankard, the orange liquid sloshing around inside. He put it to his lips and gave it a few good-sized gulps before he placed the tankard down on the table. The group bickered back and forth on who was the better quidditch team, which Draco ignored pretty easily but every time Harry spoke up he listening rather embarrassingly close. "Draco, you agree yes?" He asked, green eyes looking up into silver expectantly. Draco coughed on his butterbeer at the question, hitting his chest a few times before he met Harry's gaze. "What?" He asked, slightly confused seeing as he didn't pick up on what they were really talking about. Harry let out an over-exaggerated sigh and folded his arms over his chest once more. "See! He doesn't agree!" Ron said, pointing his finger over the table and almost knocking over everyone's butterbeer. Harry leaned into the table and shook his head "You're bloody bonkers mate!" He yelled in a rather annoyed tone. Ron sat back when Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder. After a few agonizingly quiet seconds, the group burst into laughter making Draco jump slightly at the sudden change in atmosphere. Ron shook his head and flicked the growing tears away from his eyelashes "You called me bonkers like an old lady." He choked, bending over the table. Harry leaned into Draco's side, which made the blond visibly tense at the new touch. 

Draco didn't know if he was in heaven or purgatory, he was so close to Harry he could feel his hot breath on his neck if he turned to face him. Draco would always tense anytime Harry pushed into his side, on purpose or not. Draco couldn't really decipher the difference between the two, was it on purpose, or was he always pushing further into his friend's side? Draco didn't bloody care too much, all he knew was Harry was pressed into his side, their thighs squished together and elbows bumping anytime Harry leaned into the table which he would utter a small 'sorry' anytime he felt the tense elbow of Draco. After having too much of the interaction, Draco decided to mutter the word 'bathroom' and squeeze out of the table. He walked up the stairs and stuffed himself in the bathroom, leaning on the creaky wooden door. His breathing was rapid and heavy as he looked down at his shoes. He pushed his hands through his gelled back hair and let out a sigh, his eyes closing and face resting in his hands. 

Why was he in this situation again? Right, Pansy got invited to go out with them for some reason and she pulled Draco along against his own will. He would've much rather been asleep in his dorm room dreaming about Harry, now he actually had to answer his question, try and remain civil when he for some reason was so on edge. He didn't know if he wanted to make up some excuse to leave and go back to the comfort of his bed, expecting a massive hangover in the morning, or stay here and remain pressed so close to Harry. A knock on the door made Draco jump in surprise, he didn't realize how much time had passed with him just standing there in the same position. He opened the door to be greeted by green eyes, making his lips curve in an instinctive frown, hiding the small smile he wanted to show off. "Draco, I got worried you may have slipped and hit your head, you've been up here for a good while now." Harry joked, letting a small snicker leave his lips. When Draco didn't respond, he tilted his head to show concern. Harry had just said he was worried about him, he was worried about Draco so he came up here to search for him, that word alone made butterflies fly up to his throat from his stomach. He swallowed hard and pulled his eyebrows close, the frown on his lips deepening as he thought of an answer. "I don't need your worry, sod off." He grunted and shoved past Harry, what a perfect answer when there was a simple 'thank you' wanting to jump from the tip of his tongue. 

Harry whipped his body around and grabbed Draco's wrist quickly and without much thought. "Wait," he said, his grip tight and clear that he did not intend to let go unless Draco twisted around. When he did, Harry loosened his grip and looked up, silver meeting emerald. "Draco I'm trying to be nice to you, but you make it so hard when you push me away so quickly. Can we please just talk?" He asked, his eyes and expression hopeful for a yes, almost desperate for a yes. Draco parted his lips, still in slight shock from the sudden grab. "I-" He started, but closed his lips and formed a thin line. He tugged his wrist away from Harry and stuffed it in his coat pockets, looking down at the brunette. "What's there to even talk about, you just need to learn personal boundaries." He spat, squinting his eyes when Harry's smile dropped completely. Harry took a few steps closer and pushed a finger into Draco's chest, his breathing getting quicker as he thought of something to say. "Personal Boundaries are one thing, but being a complete prat is another. Draco, pushing our past behind us, just talk to me?" He asked, his tone pleading as he poked Draco's chest a few times. 

Draco was speechless, he had absolutely nothing to say and that might've been a good thing. He kept opening and closing his mouth almost wanting to say something but decided against it. He turned his head, his eyes finding the wall as he pursed his lips slightly. "You're making this hard.." he muttered out before he turned quickly on his heels quickly and made his way down the spiral staircase. Draco made his way through the crowded pub to their table and leaned down to tell Pansy he was wanting to leave. Pansy thinned her lips into a frown and said her goodbye's, placing a few silver Sickles down to pay for both Dracos and her drinks before she tossed on her thick winter coat and walked out the door. Draco followed, not bothering to look back because he could feel the glare Harry was shooting him from the staircase. 

\---

When they got back to the castle and to the Slytherin common room, Pansy turned to Draco before he could push past her. "Why did you want to leave so suddenly? I was having a bloody good time!" She yelled but kept her voice slightly hushed so the other students couldn't hear. "I- Pansy, I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm drunk and damn knackered." He sighed and dragged his hand down his face. She shot his a few more glares before she huffed and turned to walk up the stairs to the 8th year dorm rooms. He stood there silently for a bit before he too walked up the stairs to go to his room. He shrugged off his snow ridden coat and pulled the belt from the loops and placed it on a chair beside his bed, making sure to be quiet so he didn't wake up three other students who shared his room. He unbuttoned the shirt, plucking each button slowly before he shrugged it off and tossed it in a hamper for his dirty clothes. He pulled at the button on the dress pants and unzipped them, pushing them off his hips to step out of them when they folded around his ankles. He tossed them into the hamper and tossed the dark green covers to his bed aside so he could slither into bed. He folded the blanket over himself and shimmied his shoulders down. Draco looked absentmindedly towards to ceiling, thinking back to everything he did tonight. He was a complete idiot, and he would admit it aloud if the others weren't sleeping. After stirring in bed for about an hour, the beginning of a headache washed over him which made him close his eyes and drift into a dreamless sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Chapter!!!!! I am so excited to write this book!!! I've been wanting to write it for quite a while now and honestly, all the planning I was sick of so I kinda just said "IMMA WING IT" and that's what I just did! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! ♥♥♥


	2. Library Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry, now slightly more interested in Draco, is trying his best to get the bloke alone so they could talk. Of course, Draco would try his best to avoid that situation.

The severe throbbing pain Draco felt in his head as soon as he woke up was almost unbearable. He leaned forward and let out a pained groan, cupping his forehead in his clammy palms. He immediately regretted going out last night and drinking as much as he did, although it wasn't as much as the other seeing as he and Pansy left early. Blaise threw a white sock over to Draco to gain his attention, a smirk spread across his lips when Draco looked up. "You look bloody dreadful" He snickered and pulled his green and black robe over his shoulders, letting it lay rather relaxed. Draco grunted and laid his head against the cold pillow, looking up at the wooden frame of his bed. "put a sock in it, Zabini" Draco murmured, taking in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. He slowly sat up, leaning on his arms as the blankets pooled at his lap. Blaise let out a scoff and grabbed his bag, stopping just before the exit of the room, "You're going to miss breakfast, I suggest you move your arse and get food in your system to tame that hangover." He hummed and walked out of the room, the door clicking behind him. 

The room became quiet, and Draco squinted at the brightness of the light Blaise had turned on just before leaving. He let out a painful moan as he twisted to the side to place his feet on the cold stone floor. He rubbed his abdomen as he let out a yawn, walking around the bed to the chest at the foot of it. He unlatched it and gathered out his clean uniform. He slid his arms through the white button-up, pressing his chin against his bare collarbones to look down as he was pushing each button through the slits. Draco rubbed his throbbing head as he pulled out the uniform pants. He slipped into them rather swiftly and buttoned them, zipping them up with a short tug. He stuffed the button-up into the rim of his pants and wrapped his tie around his neck, tieing a quick knot and pushing it up to tighten it a bit. He slid the black sweater vest over the dress shirt and put on some socks; slipping into his already tied shoes. He grabbed his robe, stuffing it in his satchel as he made his way out of the dorm. He walked slowly down the stair, only hearing the crackling of the fire in the common room; everyone had left for breakfast. He slipped out of the password locked door and walked down the dungeon corridor. He let out a long yawn as the migraine in his head throbbed with quite a bit of force. 

Making it to the Great Hall, Draco found his seat between Pansy and Blaise. He dropped his head to the table, deciding against reaching for some food. Pansy scoffed and crossed her arms with a shake of her head. "Seriously Malfoy, you need to learn to hold your Alcohol." The female scolded, look down at the slightly messy hair. She soon lost her frown and gave Blaise a fond smile as if quietly saying 'Thanks for waking him up'. Blaise nodded and picked up an egg that had been cooked sunny side up. He placed it on the plate Draco had pushed forward with the top of his head and gently placed his hand on the blond shoulder blades. "Draco, you need to eat something or that migraine will get worse." He directed, his voice lowered to a whisper. Draco let out a groan and turned his head to the side, his cheek squishing into the cold wood to look at the plate in front of him. "Yes yes." He huffed and sat up straight, squinting his eyes at the bright sunlight coming through the windows. He picked up his utensils and cut into the egg. placing the small triangle of the egg he had cut off into his mouth, he slipped the fork from his lips and chewed slowly, glancing around the Great Hall in search of Harry. 

Draco really shouldn't have just walked out of the Hog's Head, he should have stood his ground by the bathroom and spoke properly to Harry. He should have made small talk at the table, he should have gave offered to buy him those lemon drops instead of watching him walk over to the cashier and buy them for himself; so many should of's and no actions. He sighed and cut into the egg again, shoving it in his mouth to chew hard. "So, the potions test is today, did you two study?" Blaise asked while chewing on a piece of golden-brown toast, a small smile on his lips as he watched Draco eat. Draco whipped his head to the side, his eyes wide and eyebrow pulled together with his mouth slightly agape. "Potion test?" He asked, gulping rather hard as the stuck egg in his throat. Blaise nodded and tapped the old book he had placed on the table. "I studied, it's making liquid luck right?" Pansy asked, leaning around Draco to look at Blaise. He nodded and leaned back as well, ignoring that Draco was in the middle of them. "Yeah, Slughorn told us about it last week." He said, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned back into the table to take another bite of his egg. Draco bit his lip and slammed his palm down on the table, his fork clinking a few times on the plate. "Damn it! That damn slug, I don't remember him saying that!" Draco yelled, soon regretting it as his migraine kicked his brain around like it was a soccer ball. Blaise snickered and shook his head, looking at Draco, "No, you don't remember because in that class you always have your eyes on Harry." He stated matter-of-factly watching Draco shoot him a rather spin chilling glare. Blaise was use to those glares, so he just looked away at his plate to busy himself with a puddle of egg yolk. 

Draco huffed and snatched Blaise's book, pushing himself off the table. He ignored the protests of Blaise behind him as he walked out of the Great Hall. Potions was his 5th-hour class, which meant he had enough time to study the correct formula and ingredients for the liquid luck potion. He stormed into the library, finding a nice quiet place in one of the corners, and dropped the borrowed (or more stolen) book down on the table. He flipped open the pages, some fluttering loose from his fingers as he turned to the page of liquid luck. He placed his elbows on the table and pressed his knuckles into each cheek, looking down at the opened book. His eyes followed each word carefully, taking mental notes of the ingredients and measurements of said ingredients. He ignored the chatter from other students that had found their way to the library for some reason, his entire focus was on the book in front of him. That was until someone sat in front of him, and without raising his eyes he sighed "Parkinson, I am not in the mood to talk, I need to study this before Potions or that slug will grow concerned with my marks." He muttered, his eyes flicking from words to pictures as he turned the page. He heard a small snicker come from in front of him, and it didn't sound like Pansy. He whipped his head up, tearing his focus away from the pages to look into forest green eyes. He felt his mouth dry as Harry looked over his expression, his eye trailing down his chest and to the book on the table. "Early study session?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he spoke. 

Draco liked it when Harry would tilt his head ever so slightly as he asked a question, it reminded him of a puppy hearing an unfamiliar sound. Draco licked his lips and parted them to speak, but nothing came out. Why was Harry sitting in front of him? Why did he seem like he wasn't even hungover when Draco looked like he just shagged someone in the bathrooms? Why was he pushing Draco so much where Draco didn't want to resist anymore, he just wanted to give in to his temptation and kiss the bloke senseless. Harry cleared his throat, which snapped Draco out of his stare. Harry had a soft pink hue painting his cheeks as he placed his Potions book on the table, how long had Draco been staring? Why was Harry blushing? So many stupid questions that Draco had no good answer for. He pulled his eyebrows together and thinned his lips, watching Harry open his page to the same one he was on, glancing over at Draco's book to make sure he had gotten the right number. "You don't care if I join you right? I need to study for the liquid luck potion as well. Ron and Hermione are too busy... well, they are just too busy to help me right now." Harry asked, trailing off when he brought up his two friends. Draco knew what he was going to say, they were too busy snogging each other senseless and cast Harry out like a third wheel.

Draco straightened himself on the chair and closed his book quickly, going to grab his bag. Harry frowned and reached over to place his hand on Draco, which made the blond freeze almost immediately. "Don't leave, please. I really need help with this potion." Harry mumbled and waited for Draco's reaction. He waited for what seemed like minutes before Draco shuffled in his seat and pulled his hand away from Harry's, his ears heating up with a red tint as he put his bag back down in the chair beside him. "Fine." He huffed and put his book back on the table, opening to the page he had just closed previously. Harry's smile returned and he looked down at his book, squinting so he could read. Harry would open his mouth, quietly uttering each word his eyes drifted over, he would lean down to look closer at the pictures, he would glance up at Draco every so often. Draco wet his lips and slammed his palm into the creaky table as he shot an icy glare over at Harry. Harry jumped slightly and looked up sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Read in silence," Draco grunted and looked back down to his book, noticing Harry shuffling a little in his seat. "Sorry, old habits die hard I guess." He grinned and looked back down to his book, now silently mouthing the words as he spoke. He didn't make a sound, but Draco looked up and watched his lips part as each word his eye drifted over. Draco's lips thinned and he looked over Harry's uniform, his tie was uneven, his robe laid lazily and sloppily on his shoulders, his sweater vest pulled down a little too far, maybe Harry was also struggling this morning with his outfit like Draco was. 

Draco wanted to reach other his hand and straighten his tie, he wanted to smooth down his robe on his shoulders, he wanted to cup Harry's cheeks just to feel the warmth radiating off them. Draco cleared his throat, forcing himself out of his wandering thoughts as frowned at Harry. "You haven't asked a single question, and you're not even reading anymore, you're just staring at the page." Draco pointed out, noticing that Harry had stopped mouthing the word and was just staring at the page. Harry looked up as Draco spoke, his lips curving up a little as he tapped his finger on the table. "You need help at all so sod off. I don't want you here with your annoying way of reading." Draco scoffed and flicked his hand, watching Harry's smile fall. "Okay, I'll admit that I don't need help, I've actually already studied this section already." He answered, closing the book so he could lean on his elbows to get closer to Draco. "I was wondering if you needed help, so I waited to see if you would ask. But of course, you wouldn't ask me, you never need help, especially if it's from me." Harry scoffed and slouched back into the chair, his arms crossing over his chest. Draco swallowed hard, realizing Harry came him to help him or make small talk with him. Draco looked down as he felt his cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment. "If you sit there and be quiet you can stay..." He mumbled and pulled the book closer to the edge of the table. 

Harry grinned and watched Draco's actions, tilting his head to look at Draco's face. Draco dropped his head to look at the book so he could distract himself from Harry. Harry let out a hum and tapped his foot on the hardwood floor beneath their feet, watching Draco read was actually quite entertaining in an odd way. "So, how's your head? You left early and I can only assume because you were starting to get too drunk so you went back to sleep?" He asked, trying to fill the awkward silence that surrounded them. Draco bit the inside of his cheek, not looking away from his book as he cleared his throat, "I was just tired, I'm not used to staying up that late into the night. I was not drunk so don't you go spreading that around." He snapped back, grabbing the book to bring it closer to his face. Harry simply hummed and shook his head, he shrugged his shoulder and leaned his forearms into the table, "Why would I spread it around? I'm done fighting with you Draco, I was thinking we could start fresh?" Harry asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of Draco's response. Draco looked up with a frown and scoffed, glancing out the window to their left. "Have you gone bloody mad? You rejected my friendship when you smacked my hand away in the first year, what makes you think I want to be your best mate now?" Draco snorted, clearly finding it funny Harry wanted to 'start fresh'. 

If only Harry knew how desperately Draco actually wanted that, but the fact that Draco had his walls built so high and thick Harry probably had no idea. Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with a shake of his head, "I didn't mean becoming best mates you bloody git, I just meant to start on the right foot instead of the wrong. I'm tired of fighting with you every damn minute, Malfoy." He spat, glaring over at Draco with such dedication it made Draco immediately forget all his snarky remarks or retorts. Draco licked his lips and turned his head back to the window, not wanting to look into those eyes; fearing if he did he would immediately agree which was not a good idea. If Draco agreed, he would just hurt Harry much worse than what he was doing now. His entire life was a mess, and he didn't want to bring Harry into this wreck. "You threw my father in Azkaban, I am not going to start on the right foot with you." He retorted finally, turning his head hesitantly over to Harry. He was surprised to see a smirk on his lips, making Draco stiffen in his seat. Harry stood abruptly, walking around the table and over to Draco. He placed one hand on the table, the other on the back of the seat, and leaned down. "I threw a monster into Azkaban, be thankful I was at your hearing to get you out of all the trouble you caused." He hummed and gave a soft smile as Draco's eyes widened. 

Draco could feel his breath on his face, it was nice and minty like he had just freshly brushed his teeth. Draco stood up, which made Harry stumble back a little and hit a bookshelf. "I don't need your bloody help, you're not my savior like everyone else." He called out, picking up his potions book and stuffed it in his satchel. He walked past Harry, their shoulders colliding a bit which made Harry fall back into the bookshelf again with a grunt. Draco walked out of the library and down the corridor, making his way out of the castle to his first-class; Herbology. Blaise met him halfway and slapped the back of his shoulder, matching Draco's steady pace. "That's for taking my potions book, you have your own you dim-wit," Blaise stated, holding out his hand so Draco could return the book to its rightful owner. Draco sighed and rummaged around his bag for the book, that's when he noticed his missing robe that was previously hooked around the strap. He looked behind him as Blaise snatched the book out of his hand and watched Draco with a curious gaze. "Lose something?" He asked, looking back to where Draco's eyes were glued. Draco groaned and wanted to slap himself on the back due to his stupidity, his robe was probably back in the library, which meant he would have to either go get it now and risk seeing Harry or get it later and risk freezing his balls off. 

"No, I didn't. Let's go we're going to be late." He decided and turned around to walk to one of the many greenhouses. He walked into the greenhouse, going over to his station with Blaise right beside him just before Professor Sprout came into the building. She smiled at each student as she walked past them. "Good morning students! Today we will be changing Venomous Tentacula pots!" She said, placing an empty and slightly bigger pot right beside the Venomous Tentacula's pot. She stood in front of the table and looked around at each student, "Now, who can tell me what Venomous Tentacula is deadly for?" She asked, making sure no student was close enough for the Venomous Tentacula to grab them. Hermione raised her hand, wiggling it a little in anticipation. Professor Sprout smiled and looked around at all the other students before she pointed at Hermione. Hermione cleared her through and cupped her hands together at her stomach "Madam, Venomous Tentacula expels venom from its shoots, and its spikes deadly are. Its bite is highly venomous and can easily stun or kill. Its juice is also a less than lethal poison." She explained, looking down at the newly grown Venomous Tentacula. "But, seedlings are not likely to kill young adults. They will most likely just stun." She added, stepping back a little when a small vine tried to grab her wrist. Professor Sprout smiled and clapped her hands together, "Precisely! Thank you, Miss Granger." She said and looked over at the Venomous Tentacula. "Now, for your safety, I will ask you all to put on the two gloves behind you. If you are grabbed try to pry the vine away before it can puncture your skin. Also, please do not roll up your sleeves as the thick sweater and long dress shirts will protect your skin so it cants directly get to it." She noted and watched each student put on their gloved. She then allowed them to take the Venomous Tentacula out of its original small pot to put it in the much bigger one. 

\---

After Herbology Draco went in search of his robe. He was shivering half the class because he only had two, rather thin, layers on. He walked into the Library and over to the table he had been seated at. The robe was nowhere to be seen, and people were not sitting at that table so it's not like he could look around it or under it. Draco gripped his hair and let out a heavy sigh before turning on his heels and out the doors of the library, of course, someone took it and Draco had a rising suspicion he knew exactly who it was. He walked down the hall, his hands in his pants pocket and silver eyes averted towards the ground. Walking absentmindedly, he collided with another person, watching their feet slip as they fell on their arse. He looked up surprised, not expecting to see the messy rat nest of brunette hair and viridescent eyes staring right back at him with just the same about of surprise. Draco huffed and crossed his arm, putting all his weight on one hip as he leaned down slightly. "What are you doing on the floor?" Draco snickered, watching Harry stumbled upon his feet. He stepped forward a few times, poking into Draco's sternum with a sharp-pointed finger. "Oh, can it." He groaned, but soon his expression grew to one of concern as he looked over Draco. "You're shivering?..." He pointed out, watching the blond wrap his arms around himself. "Yeah, it's bloody freezing and I lost my robe. Do you have it?" He asked, rubbing his biceps a little. 

Harry smiled and nodded, twisting his satchel around to show the neatly curled up robe around the band that connected to the bag. He pulled it away and handed it over to Draco, their fingers brushing close as Draco took it from his calloused hands. He quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves and pulled it close together, finally feeling somewhat warm. "If I knew you'd be cold I would've brought it to you sooner. What class did you just have?" Harry asked, putting his arms behind his back and clasping his hands together. "Herbology, I'm so cold cause I was outside." He sighed and rubbed the back of his slightly untamed hair. Harry nodded and looked over his rosy cheeks and nose. "Well, You should've just come back to the library when you noticed it was gone, you git." He said in a playful tone, his smile yet again making small wrinkles form in the corner of each eye. Draco's fingers twitched a little bit as he thought about reaching his hand out and rubbing his thumb over Harry's cheek, but he stuffed his hands in his robe pockets to busy himself with the lint inside. 

He chewed on the skin on his lip for a short amount of time before looking straight at Harry, he mustered up the courage to give him a small smile. "Thanks" He uttered out, his voice low and just above a whisper so no one else could hear him. Harry, a little shocked that Draco had actually thanked him, nodded and patted Draco's shoulder lightly. "Of course!" He hummed and slid past Draco, walking down the corridor and running to catch up with Ron and Hermione who were locking arms. Draco looked behind him for a short second before he made his way to his next class; History of Magic. 

\---

When Potions class came around, Draco sulked into the classroom and sat in his seat beside Blaise. Blaise smirked and wrapped his arm around Draco and pulled him close, glancing around at the other students before he turned to whisper in Draco's ear. "Did you hear?" Blaise asked, watching Draco's scrunch up from the closeness of the two. Draco shook his head, cautious of what Blaise was going to say with other students around. "Wow, you really are clueless. After you left Hogsmeade last night, Cho and Harry went at it in the Three Broomsticks washroom." He informed, feeling Draco tense up considerably. Draco turned to face Blaise, his eyebrows pulled together and the frown on his lips deep. "What?" He asked, making sure he heard it right. When Harry walked into the room with Ron, Draco straightened his back and watched them walk to their assigned table. "Yeah, I heard Cho was so loud you could hear her over the music." He added and removed his arm from Draco's shoulder. Draco's face went pale as he looked over at Harry, trying to see if he could see it in his face. He didn't look different, his usual bright smile and eyes, and his always untamed hair. He looked normal, and Draco didn't know if Blaise was telling the truth or just trying to rial him up before the test. "Sod off, Zabini." He spat and looked at the pot in front of him. Blaise only nodded with a small chuckled and pulled out his potions book just as Professor Slughorn walked into the room. 

"Good afternoon, class. As you are all hopefully aware, you have a potions test today over making liquid luck. You are only allowed your book for ten minutes of the test, after that, you must put it under your table and go on simple memory." He informed, looking around to each table to make sure everyone had a partner and a cauldron in front of them. "You will have your partner for help. Your test starts now, no talking unless it's to your partner." Slughorn said and walked around the class, watching each student carefully to make sure there was no cheating. 

Draco watched Blaise walk around the table and over to the ingredients, picking up Ashwinder egg, Squill bulb, Murtlap tentacle, Tincture of thyme, Occamy eggshell, and Powdered common rue. Draco read over the instructions and Blaise walked back, putting all the ingredients on their table. "You're lying, or the person who told you is lying," Draco said quietly, going over to grab the squill bulb to cut it up into the correct measurements. Blaise scoffed and let out a snort of a laugh and shook his head. "I'm only telling you what I heard, Draco. It could be real news or fake, who knows?" He responded in just the same hushed tone as Draco, making sure no one would hear what they were talking about. Draco whacked Blaise's shoulder and pointed to the other ingredients, "Do your part of measurements you prat." He ordered and cut the squill bulb into tiny little chunks so they were able to dissolve into the potion. He flattened the knife and squeezed them a bit to make it into a paste just like the instructions said. Draco slid the now paste squill bulb into the water base of the potion. He picked up the glass stick they were meant to use for stirring and stirred the liquid counterclockwise. He looked up from the mixture, his eyes landing on Harry as he worked. Harry was giggling and shoving Ron with his elbow as he stirred his mixture. Draco looked down at his outfit again, this time his robe was straightened out and not so crumpled on his shoulders; he must've fixed it in the bathroom at some point. 

Blaise hit the back of Draco's head with a book, making him whip his head around and glare at the other male. "Focus on the potion or it will burn." He said, turning down the flame a little bit as Draco stirred. The blond huffed and looked back down at the mixture, watching Blaise add the Murtlap tentacle that was also squished into a paste. Draco pinched his nose at the smell and coughed a little, "That's repulsive." He groaned and watched Blaise crush the occamy eggshell in a mortar and pestle. "Don't focus too much on the smell, keep stirring in that speed or you're going to mess it up," Blaise instructed and moved the pestle in a 'W' shape to make the eggshell into a powder. Draco watched the potion bubble and start to turn a light grey as soon as Blaise added the occamy eggshell. He hummed at the now neutral smell and took his eyes away from the potion to find Harry again, this time their eyes locked together. 

Harry looked away quickly, his cheeks heating up to show off a nice pink tint as he whispered to Ron. He must've said something about him because Ron gave Draco a sideways glance before returning his attention to their potion. Draco did the same, not wanting another hit from Zabini. Blaise quickly added the other ingredients and put his and Draco's book under the table when Slughorn announce it's been ten minutes. "Shit, what next?" He asked, looking over to Blaise with concern. Blaise only chuckled and cranked the heat up with a shake of his head. "Unlike you, I studied." He hummed and took the glass stick from Draco's fingers. Draco watched him stir clockwise this time, the liquid turning from a light grey color to a molten gold color; some droplets leaping like goldfish above the potion's surface. Draco hummed as if saying 'You actually did study', and watched Blaise stir for a bit longer before he turned down the heat. "I didn't expect you to, so I had to do it," He snickered and took out the glass stick, wiping it off with the cloth that was set there for them. He then took a small glass container, popping the cork out of it. He handed it to Draco, looking at him and then the potion. "Hold that super steady, we need to get five bottles out of it in order to get a passing grade," Blaise said, picking up the cauldron gently and making sure not to spill it. He slowly poured the first container full, making sure Draco put the cork in tight before he handed him the next container. Draco placed the cork on the table and held the glass steady, watching Blaise pour the molten gold liquid into it. 

After they successfully poured the gold liquid into all five containers, he raised his hand so Slughorn would come over to check out their liquid luck. Slughorn took the cork out of one of the bottles and sniffed the potion, he pulled it up to his eye to get a close look at the color as well. After he inspected the bottles, he looked down into the cauldron to see the leaping droplets. He smiled at the boys and patted their backs. "Good work you two!" He said and walked around their table to go look at the other student's potions. Blaise smiled at the blond and patted his shoulder. "Hear that? Good work, I'd take that as we passed!" He cheered and grabbed a bottle of their potion, looking at it thoroughly. Draco decided to take this time to look over at Harry; His cheeks were flush with what Draco could only assume focus, as he looked down at his potion. Ron was whispering something in his ear, which made his ears and cheeks turn a darker shade. He watched harry slap Ron's shoulder with quite a bit of force as he stirred the potion. He looked up to meet Draco's gaze, immediately looking back down at the potion. 

The class ran by fairly quickly after Draco and Blaise finished their potion, which meant it was now lunchtime. Pansy had waited for Draco and Blaise outside of the Potions classroom, having had a free period. She smiled and hooked her arm with Draco, making him let out a sigh as they walked into the Great Hall. They all got only a few glanced before they settled down at the Slytherin table. "So, how was the test? I have potions after thing." Pansy asked, her arm detaching from Draco's as she went in for a sandwich. Draco shrugged and cupped his cheek in his hand as he leaned on the table. "It was fine, Pansy. You studied so you'll be fine. This prat didn't study at all so I had to do everything." Blaise said, whacking the back of Draco's head in which Draco decided to ignore instead of arguing with Blaise. When Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall with Ron trying to catch up behind him, Draco perked up a little bit, not so slouched over the table anymore. Pansy sighed and frowned, trying to act hurt, "Not even going to perk up to his friends like he perks up to Potter, how rude." She sighed and looked down at the sandwich she had in hand. "Put a can in it, Parkinson." He retorted and watched Harry sit down at the Gryffindor table, hearing a small snicker from beside him. 

This was the usual routine, Blaise and Pansy would talk, sometimes Goyle or Theo jumping in if they felt like it, and Draco would be staring into 'empty space where Harry happened to be'. Pansy and Blaise had grown accustomed to it, not really minding the utter obsession Draco had for Potter. Draco sighed and pushed himself off the table, looking down at the two, now confused, friends of his. "Bathroom." He muttered and walked out of the Great Hall, feeling the eyes of each professor on his back. Draco made his way to the bathroom and leaned on the sinks, dropping his head down and closing his eyes. He stood there in silence for a while until he heard footsteps outside the bathroom which made him open his eyes and straighten himself out before he turned around. Harry was stood at the entrance to the bathroom, and Draco tensed quickly, this was a rather familiar scene. Draco cautiously took a step forward and put his hands out a little, "You're not going to use sectumsempra on me right?" He asked, flinching at the name a little. Harry had also flinched a little, but he slowly shook his head. "Of course not, I will never use that spell again, I promise." He said and stepped into the bathroom. Draco let out a heavy breath and nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you here?" He asked, rubbing the dark mark through his clothes. "Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to come to Hogsmeade with us tonight, We're planning on playing truth or drink at the Three Broomsticks, It's a pretty fun game." He chuckled and rubbed his neck awkwardly. This was a scene to behold, Harry inviting Draco out for a night out was definitely something Draco did not expect. Draco blinked a few times, letting the invitation sink in a little. 

Harry shuffled on his feet and shook his head, "If you don't want to I completely understand! I just wanted to invite you beca-" 

"Sure, Why not?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey Hey! The second Chapter is out!! Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> Thanks for Reading! ♥♥


	3. Truth or Drink

The very moment Harry left the bathroom is when Draco stumbled back onto the sinks. His hands sliding on the cold porcelain, his head dropping down to his sternum as he took a sharp breath. There were way too many thoughts flying through the blond's head; Did Harry actually invite him? How did he not pussy out and yell at him? Was this some sick, twisted dream he would wake up from in mere seconds? He blinked hard a few times before pushing himself off the sink and made his way slowly out of the bathroom. He pulled his robe sleeves down slightly, his eyes glued to the ground as he steadied his walking pace. Going back to the Great Hall wouldn't be the best option for him at that moment; he'd just stare at Harry the entire time and not do anything productive like eating for once. He rubbed his clammy hands together and decided a nice breath of fresh air would do him wonders. He walked down the main corridor of the castle and out the doors to a rather large courtyard with a fountain in the middle. He glanced up and the greyish clouds covering the sun which made little flickers of light shine through them. He let out a heavy sigh, his hot breath making a cloud form around his mouth and dissipate through the air quickly. He sat on the white bricks of the fountain, the water splashing small droplets on the back of his robe and slowly soak into the thin black material. 

Draco leaned back on his arms as he closed his icy grey eyes, small and quiet chirps from the birds flying by echoed through the empty courtyard; bouncing off the pillars and right back out into the open air. He took a deep breath, the chilled air filling his lungs with a familiar burn that came with each deep breath. He didn't mind sitting outside on a cold day like today, it cleared his tangled mind and allowed him to think by himself with no interruptions. Draco let out a satisfied and quiet hum as he opened his eyes to stare out at the empty courtyard. His mind wandered to the events of today so far; bumping into Harry at the library, getting his robe back, staring at him during potions, getting invited for a hopefully fun night out, it was a rather successful day in Draco's opinion. He didn't snap too much at him, and he actually accepted the invite Harry had given him in the bathroom and it didn't end up with him bleeding out on the floor. He let a small smile grow on his lips as he looked down at his freshly shined black shoes, a small chuckle escaping through his parted lips that were beginning to chap from the cold. "I'm bloody screwed." He said to himself and cupped his head in his hands, a few strands of hair falling from their original pushed back position to rest on his reddened knuckles. He let his shoulders drop with a sigh as he raked his fingers through his hair, feeling the small curls that had made themselves apparent due to the freezing temperatures. 

Hearing the chimes of the clock, he looked up at the students filling the courtyard, girls giggling together in their groups, and boys shoving each other around in a playful manner. Draco chewed on the dead skin that had peeled itself from his bottom lip and tapped the heel of his shoe on the white stone on the fountain. He thinned his lips and rubbed his hands on his pants, debating whether to go to the common room or stay out here for his free period. "Draco!" A familiar voice yelled over the commotion, catching his attention quicker than he would like the admit. He looked up from his shoes and settled his gaze on Harry who was walking at a fast pace directly towards him. Draco would be embarrassed to admit the bubbles stirring in his gut at the mention of his first name from Harry. It rolled perfectly off his tongue, almost like he was made specifically to call out his first name. Hermione and Ron were following their friend, confusion spread over their faces as they whispered in each other's ear. Harry stopped right beside Draco, his lips curved into a smile, "I didn't see you come back, I assume you've been out here all lunch?" He asked, shuffling on his feet a little as his friends poked his back to ask a question. Draco stared at the brunette for a while before breaking their eye contact to look at Ron and Hermione. "Yes." He replied, gripping the stone beneath him tightly. Harry nodded and looked behind him at the two lingering by his heels like lost dogs, "You guys can go, I'll catch up." He hummed and waved his hand in the air a little to shoo them off. Hermione gave Draco a small glance, then looked a Ron, then back to Harry before she nodded slowly. "Okay, don't forget to meet us in the library when you're done." She mumbled and clutched the books she had her arms wrapped around. 

Harry gave them both a small smile and a nod, watching them reluctantly walk away with a few glanced before they disappeared into the castle again. Harry sat down beside Draco, his thigh brushing against Draco's forearm which made him flinch back a little. "Since when were we on a first-name basis?" He asked and stuffed his hands in his robe pockets to busy himself with the now non-existent lint there. Harry turned his head after placing his bag beside his feet and showed off a friendly grin. "Well, I told you I wanted to start fresh, and that means a first-name basis!" He answered and crossed his legs tightly, resting his reddened hands on his knee. Draco nodded slowly and thinned his lips, his eyes flicking between those sea-green eyes and pale pink lips. How much he wanted to pull the Gryffindor in by his tie and press their lips together harshly, lead him down to lay on the fountain, and pull them together so they could warm each other up with a nice make-out session. "-are you?" Harry asked, rubbing his hands together almost anxiously as he awaited an answer. His eyes were glued on Draco's face as the blond blinked a few times to throw himself back into their conversation. "What?" He questioned, his tone confused and his face contorted into a seemingly dumb confusion. Harry sighed and looked down at his hands that were melted together, a bright blush flowing up his neck and onto his cheeks and ears. "I asked if you were wanting to sleep in the Shrieking Shack with all of us tonight after the game. We planned it at lunch and we all just wanted to stargaze tonight and maybe do some stupid stuff, I don't know." He repeated himself and bit his lip quickly after sucking it in. Draco wanted to reach over and pull his lip out from his teeth with his thumb, rubbing it gently before pulling him in so he could gently kiss his neck, just below where a small amount of stubble was growing from a few days without shaving. He swallowed hard and looked over Harry's burning face, resisting the urge to reach over and cup his hot cheek. 

After a while, Harry met Draco's gaze reluctantly, a shy smile on his lips as the courtyard grew quiet. "Well?" He asked, pulling his eyebrows together to try and force away the blush that was growing rapidly. "Oh," Draco muttered out, almost crashing back into their conversation once more. Why was his mind wandering so much today? He could usually control his thoughts anytime he saw Potter, but today or better yet right now, he was thinking about everything he wanted to do with Harry. "Uhm... I don't think sleepovers are my thing." He answered and rubbed his neck, not looking away from the glistening eyes right in front of him. Harry nodded and then shrugged quickly. "Yeah! Yeah, I figured. It was stupid of me to ask anyway, I'm sorry." Harry said quickly and jumped up into a stand position, his feet getting mixed up as he tripped over himself. Draco quickly jumped forwards and grabbed Harry's elbow, pulling him into his chest which made him lose balance and fall back into the fountain. The water felt like sharp, cold needles piercing his skin which made him tense up quite a bit. He slowly opened his eyes, having closed them when he hit the water, and looked at the horror on Harry's face. "Oh... Oh my god. Draco I am so sorry! Merlin, you're drenched!" He said, clearly not being as soaked as Draco was from the way he landed on top of him. He sat back on the edge of the fountain and grabbed Draco's forearm to pull him out of the water. He sat there quietly as frigid water fell from his body, "Damn it..." He sighed as his teeth clattered against each other. 

Harry tried to squeeze the water out of Dracos robe before dropping his arms and head with a sigh. Draco stood up and pulled his drenched robe off to give it a squeeze to try and get as much water out of it before he walked into the castle. He looked down at Harry and flicked his forehead, making the brunette flinch a bit and look up at Draco. "You're wet too. Come on," he ordered, pausing a bit when he shivered. He slowly started walking back to the castle doors, looking back to make sure Harry was following. Harry stood up quickly and wrapped his arms around himself before following Draco closely, not wanting to lose him. "I'm sorry..." Harry muttered out and looked down at his feet as he walked. Draco sighed and clutched his hand into a fist, "Stop saying you're sorry. It's fine." He grunted and walked down the stairs to the dungeon. Harry looked up as they started walking down the stair, finally getting a hint to where they were going. He gulped and tried searching for any other Slytherins that could be around. "Draco, Are we going to the Slytherin common room?" he asked just above a whisper to make sure others couldn't hear his voice. Draco crossed his arms to try and conserve his body heat before looking back at Harry with an unreadable expression, but Harry could tell he was pissed. "Yes. Don't worry, everyone is in class most likely, I don't think anyone has a free period but me cause they are too proud of their bloody studies." He replied and stood in front of the stone door that had a snake wrapped around it. It reminded Harry of the entrance to the chamber of secrets, but less creepy and more welcoming. Draco whipped his head back around and shot Harry a small glare, "Cover your ears. I don't need you sneaking into our common room every bloody second of the day." he ordered and made sure Harry had his ears firmly covered before he whispered the code. The snake shot back into a small hole and the door popped open. Draco held his hand out to tell Harry to stay put so he could search the common room before the Gryffindor walked in. 

When the coast was clear, Harry slowly slipped through the password locked the door and followed Draco up the stairs. Having already been here before, he had a general idea where everything was, but he had never been up to where the dorm rooms were. Harry stuck close to Draco, but he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering around at all the doors. They had silver number plates on them to distinguish each room from the other. When Draco stopped, Harry bumped into his back a bit having been distracted, he apologized quickly before looking up at the number plate; It had black, finely carved numbers on it that read _26_. Draco opened the door and walked in, leaving it open so Harry could make his way in whenever he was comfortable. They were both shivering quite a bit at that point, and the cold down room was no help. Draco walked over to the chest at the end of his bed and pulled out the latch that kept it closed. Harry closed the door behind him and looked around at the shared room, a small smile on his face at the Slytherin decoration. Draco clutched at a hoodie that had been freshly washed, he looked at it for a bit before tossing it over to Harry. "That hoodie is my favorite, so if you don't bloody return it I will hex you." He warned, shooting a glare over at Harry before taking out his own hoodie. Harry had caught it just before it hit the floor and looked it over, it wasn't anything fancy like he had imagined, it was a pale grey with two green stripes down each sleeve and a few faded words on the front of it. He looked up to Malfoy, who was crouched down and digging through the chest for a pair of pants for himself. Harry bit his lip and tossed his robe to a leather chair that was right beside him, he slowly pulled the wet sweater off his head and placed it beside the robe before pausing at his button-up. Why he paused exactly, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he suddenly felt subconscious of his body. He looked over at Draco, who had turned to the side, his eyes staring at the wall behind his bed. 

Harry watched Draco pull off his sweater and let it fall to the floor, a puddle of water forming around the wet piece of clothing as he worked on the buttons of his white dress shirt. He let it fall down his pale arms, the faded dark mark still under his skin as he twisted his arm to get a good look at it. harry had only given the dark mark a sideways glance, he was too focused on his shoulder blades that poked out any time he moved his arms. He was looking over his back, a few moles and freckles catching his eyes, they reminded him of falling snow in the pattern that they were in. His eyes soon fell on his side, his hip bone poked out from the rim of his boxers that were visible from the rim of his pants. His skin was pale, so pale it almost glistened up the dim lighting and Harry wanted to reach over and run his fingertips over his skin just to feel how smooth it felt, it definitely looked smooth. Harry clutched at the hoodie Draco had given him and for some reason couldn't pull his eyes away from Draco's body. 

Having noticed the eyes drilling holes into his skin, Draco turned to face Harry with a small smirk on his lips. "What? Do you like what you see, Potter?" He joked and watch the blood rush to Harrys' cheeks. He soon looked away although reluctantly and busied himself with unbuttoning his shirt as well. This felt like they were doing something more erotic than just getting changed for some reason, and Harry couldn't figure out if he liked it or hated it. After Harry looked away, Draco slid into his hoodie and pulled his belt from the loops. He placed it on his bed and glanced over at Harry who had finally shrugged the shirt off his shoulders. Draco had only imagined what Harry's body looked liked under his clothes, and it was now Draco's turn to stare at him. His eyes trailed over his slightly muscular stomach, his skin wasn't pale, it was more a beautiful golden brown like he had just worked on his tan. Draco's eyes trailed down the small amount of hair that went down to his navel, his fingers twitching a little bit in anticipation that would never come. He averted his gaze when Harry slid into his hoodie and tapped his foot on the floor. Draco pushed the soaked pants down and pulled the other ones on quickly, looping the belt back around his waist and sinching it tight. 

"Thanks for the hoodie..." He mumbled and shuffled on his feet, gripping at the cuffs of the hoodie. Draco looked over at Harry, his eyes flickering over the slightly oversized hoodie Harry was now wearing which made his cheeks heat up slightly. He did not expect to like seeing Harry in his clothes, and he really wanted to just let him keep the damn thing. "Yeah..." He replied and smoothed down his own hoodie on his stomach before grabbing a green and silver scarf that was neatly placed on the end of his bed. "Grab your clothes, might wanna dry them out before class so we can put them back on," Draco said, grabbing his dripping uniform. Harry followed what the blond said and grabbed his robe and two shirts, watching Draco walk out of the room. Harry followed silently and heard the echo of their footsteps when they walked down the stone spiral staircase. Draco put his clothes beside the roaring fire and plopped down into the leather seat with a loud yawn. He draped his arm on the back of the couch and leaned his head on his bicep as he watched Harry put his uniform right beside Dracos. Harry sat on the opposite couch and crossed his legs, resting his hands on his knee as he did at the fountain. The blond tossed the scarf over to Harry and shrugged his shoulders, "Keep it if you want, I've got an extra." He hummed and closed his eyes, the sound of the fire crackling behind him calming his nerves. 

Harry looked at the Slytherin scarf and let his lips pull into a smile, "What would I do with a Slytherin scarf? You know people would think I got it from my girlfriend?" he chuckled and wrapped the soft scarf around his neck, gripping it a bit before letting his hands fall back to his knee. Draco snorted and raised his eyebrows while keeping his eyes closed, "You? Date a Slytherin? That would be the day..." Draco replied in a cocky tone. Harry relaxed a bit at the more laid back comment from the blond and leaned back into the leather seat. The room soon fell silent, the only things the boys could hear was their own heartbeats and the breathing from the other, and it was comfortable. Usually, when they were in each other's presence, the room and air were heavy and awkward, but right now it was peaceful with not awkwardness lingering in the warm air. "Hey, can I ask you something? It's kinda personal." Harry asked, finally breaking the silence. Draco let out a hum as if saying 'sure' and Harry rubbing his hands together and bit at the dead skin on his lip. "Well... You're a decent looking guy..." Harry spoke, soon realizing the starter of his sentence may have not been the best choice cause Draco was now staring at the brunette with wide eyes. 

"Uhm, well I was just wondering why you never try dating?" He finally asked and looked at the pale blue eyes that were staring at him. Draco pulled his eyebrows together and thinned his lips into a frown. He glanced over to the fire that was cracking every so often before he parted his lips to answer, "I'm not really interested in any of the girls here..." he licked his lips that now felt terribly dry as Harry watched his every movement. The Gryffindor soon nodded and rubbed his knee, looking over to the fire as well. "I see, is it just because they aren't your type or..." Harry asked, leaving the sentence open for Draco to answer the question that was lingering in the back of his mind. Draco swallowed hard and sighed, desperately looking for something other than the answer to say. "Are you asking if I'm into boys?" He asked and refused to look at Harry, the fire being more interesting than ever at that moment. Harry's face reddened and he looked down at his feet, tapping them together a bit after uncrossing his legs. "Uhm, well do you? Listen if you do I don't care at all! I was just wondering because I don't think I've ever seen you with a girl aside from the Yule Ball..."He mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly embarrassed that he was even asking this. He didn't know why he was so curious about Draco's sexuality at that moment, he just knew he really wanted to know. 

"Yeah, I fancy boys," Draco muttered back and looked up to Harry, having new found confidence. Harry, after staying silent and still for a while, nodded slowly and brought his eyes up to Dracos. "I see, when did you know?" He asked and straightened himself out on the sofa to look directly at Draco. That was a question Draco never got, he never thought about it either, he just sorta knew. "I think the fourth year is when I figured it out, I didn't really like the activities Pansy wanted to do after the ball. She wasn't being forceful or anything, I just wasn't into it. Plus, I've had my eye on a certain someone for a while who happens to be a boy." He admitted, watching Harry's expression carefully like an eagle hunting a mouse in an open field. Harry nodded once again and rubbed his hands together. "Who?" He finally asked after a while of silence and Draco licked his lips to wet them a bit, looking away from Harry's gaze. "That's my business, not yours." He mumbled and slid his legs off the sofa, walking over to their clothes to check them and see if they need to be flipped to dry on the other side or not. "Right, sorry," Harry muttered and watched Draco's action, pulling the sleeves to the hoodie up.

\---

When Draco stepped off the train that had taken him to Hogsmeade, he grasped both his arms in a tight cross and sighed at the more chilly night air. He walked over to The Three Broomsticks and looked up at the orange light that hung just above the old wooden door. He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, listening to the jingle of tiny bells that were to the right of the door. Draco looked around, his eyes landing on Harry who was looking back at him with a smile. "Draco! Over here!" He shouted over the music and loud chatter of the others in the building. Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked over to the table they were all gathered around. Harry pushed Ron to the side a bit to give Draco room on the edge of the seat, right beside Harry. His smile grew as the blond sat and he clapped his hands together. "We're all here now! Time to start, Hermione please explain the rules seeing as we have a few newcomers here." He hummed and leaned into the table with his elbows. Hermione cleared her throat and put her palms on the table "Alright! Truth or Drink is a game where someone around this table can ask you a question, you either have to give the truth to said question, or drink from the shots we will be receiving shortly. Of course, all questions are allowed but try to be respectful about it." She explained, looking at Draco when she brought up being respectful. He rolled his eyes a bit before listening to her as she spoke up again. "Whenever we wanna stop we can make our way to the Shrieking Shack to get settled in for bed." She hummed and clasped her hands together, looking at the waitress when she brought the shots. "Who wants to start?!" Ron yelled and wiggled around on the round seat. 

Hermione smiled at her boyfriend's behavior and looked around the table to pick someone if no one wanted to go first. "Luna! You ask a question first." She hummed and leaned on the table to hear what her friend would ask and who she would ask it to. Luna nodded and looked around the table to pick someone to ask her question. "Ron. Did you and Hermione really sneak out of Herbology yesterday to get ingredients?" She asked with a small innocent smile on her lips. Hermione's cheeks went red as she whipped her head over to look at Ron, shooting him a cold glare. Ron cleared his throat, his cheeks also heating up at the thought of what they did yesterday. "No." He stuttered out and rubbed the back of his red neck, looking down at the cracks in the table. Everyone around the giggled and soon started chatting about what they actually did. Ron looked around the table to pick someone and his eyes landed on Harry, who was leaning into the table with a smile on his lips. "Harry. Out of everyone around this table, who would you most like to shag?" He asked with a wild smirk on his lips. Harry's eyes went wide and his cheeks grew pink as he looked around the table. His eyes soon fell on Draco, who had a small smile on his lips before it fell as their eyes locked. Harry cleared his throat and parted his lips to answer but nothing came out. He picked up the small glass and looked away from Draco to down the liquid, the burning sensation running all the way down to his stomach. Everyone let out a loud and drawn out 'awh' when they watched Harry drink. "Damn, I really wanted to know," Ron whined and crossed his arms to pout like a little child. Draco had a growing suspicion he knew who he was going to pick, which made his cheeks and ears heat up slightly with a blush. 

Harry huffed after completely swallowing the liquor and looked around the table for his own victim. He smiled at Neville and tapped his chin to think of a question for him. "Neville, Who do you find the hottest around this table?" He asked, tilting his head to look at Neville who looked completely shocked at the question. He looked at the liquor, then looked around the table to look at everyone's faces. "Seamus." He finally answered and rubbed his hands together due to his anxiety as everyone burst out into laughter. Draco looked over to Seamus who was shaking his head and letting out a few giggles and slapped Neville's hand which made him retreat it to his stomach. After the group settled down, Neville looked directly at Draco, hesitation in his eye. Draco remained calm, having no idea what he was going to ask but he was confident he would answer and not drink. "Malfoy, I'm curious, who would you most likely shag in this friend group?" He asked with a small snicker and every eye was on Draco. He thinned his lips and shrugged, glancing over at Harry for a split second. "Potter. He's the most appealing." He said, feeling like the group would take it as a joke seeing as they were 'enemies', but Draco couldn't help his heart roaring in his chest from his confession. Harry looked at him with wide eyes, along with everyone else, and the group grew awkwardly quiet. Harry's cheeks were flush again, the pink hue burning bright on his skin as he looked down at his empty glass in front of him. He soon huffed out some air and looked at Hermione, a smirk on his lips. "Granger, how about when you walked out of Defense Against The Dark Arts for a bathroom break and came back twenty minutes later looking disheveled? Was that really a bathroom break?" he asked and leaned into the table, his chin resting on his knuckles after he brought his hands up. 

Hermione brought her eyebrows close together, clearly feeling challenged by how fast Draco had answered the last question. "No, Ron and I had a make-out session in the bathroom," she admitted with an innocent smile while Ron sat back in the seat with a blush on his face. Draco hummed and shrugged, looking over her fiery eyes that seemed to spark curiosity. "Malfoy, I wonder, who would top in your activities with Harry?" She asked and leaned into the table further, not noticing Harry's pure face of embarrassment. Draco snorted and glanced at Harry, pointing his thumb to him a bit, "Clearly me, unless you could see this blushing mess drag me into bed." He answered, being fueled completely on the competition. He would never really say this out loud if someone asked him but feeling Hermione trying to compete with him made him really want to beat her in this silly banter. Harry bit his lip and tapped Draco's shoulder, gaining his attention as he reluctantly removed his glare from Granger to look at Harry. "Please move, I need to use the washroom..." He whispered and shuffled in the seat. Draco nodded slowly and moved from the seat, leaning on the table as Harry slid out and quickly walked up the creaky stairs to the bathroom. He sat back down beside Ron but kept a gap between them so they weren't touching each other. 

Harry rushed into the bathroom and gripped the cold sink, turning it on quickly to create noise. His breathing was heavy and his heart was pounding against his ribcage. He gripped the hoodie Draco had given him and let his chin rest against his collarbones. The thought of Draco doing whatever he pleased with Harry in bed made blood shoot straight down to his groin and his jeans tighten. He swallowed hard and shook his head, closing his eyes tightly to try and get the images out of his head but in reality, they only made it worse. Harry wasn't gay, at least he thinks he isn't, he had fantasized about girls before and woke up with the worst morning wood he had ever experienced, but this was something different. The thought of Dracos rough and strong calloused hands running down his sides as he kissed and sucked at his neck, his silverish eyes dark with lust as he looked straight into Harry's eyes with nothing more than love, his hips jerking forward as he set a steady pace of thrusts into Harry. His body started to heat up as he slid down the wall he had found himself against. He licked his dry lips and fumbled with his pant button, wanting to get some relief before going back to the group. He slowly wrapped his hand around his burning dick and let out a hiss at the dry friction of the first rub. He flicked his thumb over the bead of pre-cum that was pooling at the tip and rubbed it down the shaft. 

He slowly started pumping his fist, throwing his head back on the wood wall. He spread his legs a little bit, soft and quiet moans escaping his lips making him throw his hands on his mouth. He closed his eyes and quickened the pace of his hand, more pre-cum leaking out with each pump. He imagined Draco pinning him down on soft and silky green sheets of his bed, their lips pressed together firmly and comfortable like they fit perfectly with each other, Draco was palming him through his jeans slowly just to make sure the moment didn't fly past. He imagined Draco flipping him over, pulling his ass up into his groin, his clothed dick rubbing up against Harry's ass and the friction being amazing. He thought about Draco being gentle with him, guiding him through everything like how first times were meant to be done, a loving smile on that perfectly shaped face. Without another thought other than the smile on Draco's face, his abdomen boiled and his cum shot out in hot strands while he groaned out the blond's name. He panted and collapsed onto the wall, his arms falling down to the cold tile flooring. He was falling for Draco Malfoy, and hard. After cleaning himself up and fixing his disheveled look, he walked out of the bathroom right into the chest of someone. 

He reeled back and cupped his nose in pain, looking up a bit at the person who he hit. It was Draco, who looked like he was just about to knock. Harry's cheeked quickly became red as he looked down at his shoes, fidgetting with the cuff of the hoodie. "Merlin, I thought you died in there." Draco teased and looked behind Harry in the bathroom. Harry shook his head and rubbed his neck after moving his hand away from his nose. "Everyone is going to head to the Shrieking Shack, I figured you'd want to know. I know they wouldn't leave you but..." He hummed and stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket. Harry nodded slowly and finally looked up to Draco, his blush having faded a bit. "Right. Thank you. Are you joining us?" He asked and crossed his arms over his chest. Draco shrugged and looked around the hallway, his expression bored. "I might as well, I've got nothing better to do." He muttered and stepped back so Harry could walk out of the bathroom. He took a deep breath and nodded once more before walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Draco followed him and looked at everyone who had stood up and put on their coats. They looked far more worse for wears than Draco did, meaning they must've had more to drink; Draco probably didn't have anything to hide. Harry cleared his throat and walked up to the group with a smile, gaining smiles in return. 

After some small talk, they finally walked out of the building and made their way to the Shrieking Shack. It had started to snow sometime through their game, which Draco didn't mind too much. Harry was walking with Draco, behind the rest of the group, and the silence that surrounded them was comfortable for Draco but awkward for Harry. He had just jerked off to the guy standing right beside him, he even moaned his name at the end of it. What if Draco heard? How long was he standing there? What would he think of him? Did he like him back? So many questions with no answers unless he asked, and that was not happening. When everyone made it to the Shrieking Shack and up the creaky stairs, the pile of sleeping bags sorted themselves out after Hermione cast a simple spell on them. "Everyone has a sleeping bag." She yawned and claimed one right beside the window. Ron moved his closer to hers, snuggling up beside her when she climbed into hers. Everyone started to occupy their sleeping bag, and Harry and Draco were standing there watching everyone climb into one. When there were only two left, which happened to be right beside each other, Harry moved to claim the one right beside Luna. He let out a yawn and slid down into it, looking up at the shifting ceiling of the shack. Draco slowly slid in his sleeping bag beside Harry and also watched the ceiling. "You know what. How about we go star gaze outside instead? I'm not too tired yet." Harry requested, turning to face Draco who already had his eyes closed to try and sleep. 

His eyes slid open slowly, flicking over to look at the person who asked the question. Draco stretched his arms out and sat up, the zipper unzipping a bit as he pulled on the sleeping bag. "Alright." He said and stood up, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't wake up or annoy the others. Harry also stood up and followed Draco out of the shack, sitting beside him on the deck. He looked up at the glittering stars, the small number of clouds spitting out tiny snowflakes that stuck to the growing pile of snow. Draco looked up at the stars, his hair ruffling in the cold night air. "It's so pretty out tonight..." Harry whispered, afraid if he spoke too loud he'd disrupt the peace. Draco only nodded, which Harry saw from the corner of his eye, and brought his knees up to his chest. "Draco," Harry muttered, gaining the blond's attention quite quickly. His eyes seemingly glittered in the moonlight, making Harry want to stare at them forever and never look away. "Thanks for coming out tonight, it was really nice." He added with a smile growing on his lips. Draco's lips twitched a bit, clearly wanting to show off a smile before he nodded and kept his gaze settled on Harry's eyes. "Yeah, it was nice." He replied, letting his lips slip to a small smile. It soon fell silent, both of them just staring at each other under the moonlight, and Draco thought maybe declaring his feelings wouldn't be such a bad idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHH This chapter was so freaking CUTE!!!!! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!! 
> 
> ♥♥♥


	4. The Plan

The two young wizards stayed there for hours, just looking at the stars and not a single word was spoken. At some point, Harry had fallen asleep with his head gently pressed on Draco's shoulder. His breath was shallow and quiet, a few snores and mumbled escaping his lips anytime he shifted around. Draco now used to the pressure on his shoulder, kept a steady gaze on the twinkling stars above them. He was stiff, not sure if moving was a good idea with Harry pressed so close to him. He broke his stare from the stars and twisted his head to look at Harry, his chin pressing to his forehead softly. He couldn't believe it really, it's only been a few days but Draco was this close to Harry and he wasn't snapping at him every second, it was nice. Draco hesitantly brought his hand up, his movements slow like a snail, and gently pressed his thumb over Harry's lips. Just like he had imagined, they were soft and plump, definitely made for kissing and that alone. Draco thinning his lips and took his hand away, looking back up to the sky to distract himself from his wandering mind. 

When the sun started to peek out from the horizon, Draco closed his eyes and let out a yawn. He stretched out his arms in front of him, feeling Harry stir beside him. "Mm." he hummed and sat up straight, rubbing his eyes after pushing up his glasses with his knuckles. The blond opened his eyes slowly and looked out to the horizon, the sunlight peeking through the trees around the Shrieking Shack while Harry woke himself up slowly. When he opened his eyes, he fixed his glasses and looked at Draco, the light casting a perfect shadow across his face. "When did I fall asleep?" He asked, turning his head forward to look at what Draco was looking at. The blond shrugged and took a deep breath of the chilly morning air. "About two hours ago." He replied, his expression and voice oddly calm. Harry nodded and let out a quiet yawn, a few tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he let them slip close. "Have you been up all night?" He asked and rubbed the tears from his eyes, immediately going to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose after he removed his fingers. When a gust of wind blew through the valley of trees, some snowflakes were picked up and forced into their direction, making Harry shield his face so nothing would get on his glasses. "I guess I have. I didn't want to wake you." He mumbled and turned to face Harry fully, tiny snowflakes catching in his whitish hair and melting quickly. Harry stared at him for a while, utterly shocked at the reason Draco didn't wake him up so they could go inside. 

He felt his cheeks heat up, making him turn his head to the side to look at anything but Draco. He let out a small chuckle and shrugged his shoulders lazily. "I see. You know, you could've given me a shake, you're probably freezing." He mentioned and looked over the naked trees that surrounded them. "Not really." He hummed and looked down at the broken step below their feet. Harry stood up, wobbling a bit from the sudden movement, and looked down at Draco with a smile on his chapped lips. "We should go back inside, the others might think we're up to something," Harry suggested with a rub of his arm, shuffling on his feet with embarrassment from blushing so much. Draco stood up and stretched out his back, hearing it pop a few times before turning on his heels to walk inside. Harry followed, making sure to stay far enough away so he didn't step on Draco's shoes. They walked into the room everyone was in, surprisingly still filled with snore, and sat down on the sleeping bags they had claimed for themselves. Harry looked around at all his friends and scratched the back of his head, deciding if he wanted to wake them or let them sleep off their hangover. Luckily, today was Saturday, and no one had to get up early like usual. 

After about an hour of silence, people started to stir awake from the light that was being cast into their room. Harry shot everyone a smile as they sat up, afraid if he spoke up they'd yell at him to be quieter. "Good morning." Ron groaned out when he sat up, rubbing his forehead to try and will the migraine away. "Morning," Harry responded quietly, making sure to lower his voice so he wouldn't hurt his best friend's head more than it already was. Ron glanced over at Draco, his eyebrows pulling together and lips curving into a frown. "You two are up early, get any sleep?" He asked, suspicion and curiosity running through his tone. Draco's calm and nonchalant expression made Ron think twice about his suspicion, "Matter of fact I didn't, you all tend to snore." he retorted in a somewhat joking manner, his lips curving into a frown at Ron. Harry glanced at the two and let out a sigh, his arms wrapping together in a tight cross. "You two are going to be the death of me. Ron if you're gonna be an outright git, just go back to sleep." He groaned and pulled his left leg up to his chest, his eyes rolling a bit at the shocked expression on Ron's face. Ron huffed out some air and turned around, settling back into his sleeping bag in one swift motion. Draco sighed and stood up, giving everyone who had sat up a sideways glance before settling his gaze on Harry. 

"I should go, clearly not as welcomed as I assumed." He muttered and nealed down to retie his shoelaces that had come undone. Harry shot up on his feet and shook his head quickly, walking over to Draco. "No! It's okay, Ron is just groggy when he wakes up, it's no big deal." He chuckled, his cheeks puffing up a bit as he smiled. Draco looked up at him from his nealing position, his gaze harsh as a frown formed on his lips. "It's fine, Potter. I understand your friends aren't keen on my presence as you are." He muttered and stood up, stepping back a little bit to create a gap between the two. "Give my hoodie back when you're able to change." He pointed out and turned on his heels, stepping over Neville carefully while he felt Harry's eyes on the back of his head. He walked out of the room and slipped his hand through his slightly messy and wavy hair, a sigh he could no longer contain escaping his lips. He stepped out of the Shrieking Shack back out to the frigid morning he was once so comfortable in, the snow crunching under his shoes anytime he took a step. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket and glanced back at the step Harry and him were once sat at staring at the stars together. 

Thinking he should tell Harry how he felt was an absurd thought, he hadn't even said it out loud to himself yet so why did he think he was able to say it to Harry. He bit the inside of his cheek as he walked down the winding path, his breath heating up his nose for it to only get cold again in seconds. He needed to keep his distance now, he showed vulnerability in the common room during his free period, and even more so early this morning when he almost let himself slip up with a kiss. How much he wanted to just drop all his walls he built so high, but that was never going to happen and it was never supposed to start to crack so easily. He curled his hands into a fist, his eyes glued to the snowy cobblestone road, he wanted to slap himself in the face for getting too close. It was never supposed to happen, Harry was supposed to hate Draco and not invite him to play drinking games or sleep together at that stupid shack. He removed his hands from his hoodie pocket to rake his hand through his disheveled hair, tugging at the strands between his fingers when he reached the back of his head. 

The walk was long, and the morning sun was now shining bright as ever directly onto the snowy land. He made his way into the castle, the warmth engulfing him quickly and effortlessly making his cheeks grow a warm pink hue. He sighed and made his way to the Great Hall, hearing small voices coming from the large room; breakfast was still going on. He walked in slowly, a few eyes flickering away from their friends to the large mahogany doors Draco had entered before turning back to their friends. He made his way to the familiar black bob of hair at the Slytherin table, hearing her giggle at something Theo had told her. Draco sat down beside her, his head immediately going down to the table only to be covered by his arms. Pansy turned around while her glare drilled holes into the back of the blond's head, she sighed heavily and twisted her body around to face Draco. "Where were you last night? I didn't see you come back to the common room, and Blaise said you weren't in your room all night." She asked, her head tilting to the left a bit to try and get a look at Dracos face. "I went drinking. Pan, listen to me." He muttered and pushed himself up, looking directly at the female sitting beside him. "I don't want anything to do with Potter, alright? I need to avoid him, whatever it costs, do you understand?" He asked, desperation lacing his voice as his eyes flicked frantically at all the other people around them to see if they could hear him. 

Pansy stared at him confused for a moment before softening her gaze and giving him a small, comforting nod. "Of course, but can you tell me why? Come on, Draco, I'm practically your best friend." She mumbled and placed her hand on his shoulder gently, feeling him flinch ever so slightly. She kept her hand steady on his shoulder, letting him decide if he liked it or didn't, and when her hand wasn't pushed away she rubbed her thumb gently over his clothed skin. "Not here, too many ears." He mumbled and stood up, watching her arm fall to her lap as she took in what he said. She nodded and grabbed a few pieces of toast while she stood up, using her free hand to brush down the back of her skit before standing to the side of Draco. "Lead the way." She muttered and put the corner of the perfectly crispy bread in her mouth. Draco made his way out of the Great Hall, cautiously stepping through the main corridor to make sure he didn't run into anyone returning from the Shrieking Shack. When they were out of the castle and away from the courtyard, he let his shoulders fall, and hands rest in his pant pockets as they approached the Black Lake. Pansy shivered a bit at the temperature and looked around as they walked. "You always did like outside..." She mumbled and looked at the white hair ruffling in the chilled wind. 

Draco stopped by the edge of the water, rolling down his sleeve to cover his hand while he brushed the snow off a large rock to the right of him. He sat down on it, holding his hands together in his lap while he glanced at Pansy. Pansy took her seat beside Draco, pushing her body close to his so they could warm each other up. "Talk." She hummed and looked at the frozen-over lake glistening in the sunlight. "Alright. Potter invited me out to play Truth or Drink with his friends, I accepted and said a few things I shouldn't have, soon we went to the Shrieking Shack to sleep, but Potter and I decided against sleeping and to go stargazing. He fell asleep a few hours before morning and..." He explained but paused at the end as he looked out to the lake. "And?" Pansy asked, rubbing her hands together to warm them up as she waited for Draco to continue. "Pansy I almost kissed him... I was so close... He was wearing my hoodie and he was sleeping right on my shoulder..." He continued, his head dropped down to look at his hands fidgetting with the string that came from his hoodie pocket. 

Pansy stayed quiet for a while but soon rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing his arm as she kept her eyes on the lake. "Maybe you should have." She stated simply and felt Draco tense a bit at her sentence. She sighed and brushed some strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eye. "Draco, you're trying too hard to not do anything that you think would hurt him, but maybe you're hurting him more by pushing yourself away? What if he likes you too? You'll never know until you make a move, and I doubt Harry would make a move on his own." She explained, Feeling Draco press his cheek on the top of Pansy's head, showing he was listening at least. She felt him nod slowly and then heard him let out a sigh. "If I open myself up to him I'm going to hurt him far worse than what I'm already doing that." He muttered and felt Pansy pull herself away from his side, a deep frown on her lips. "You don't know that Draco! What if he can help with your Nightmares? What if he can help you in more ways than you think?!" She yelled, her harsh tone making Draco flinch a little. He looked at her, his expression unreadable but his eyes clear as day shattering. "I don't bloody need his help Pansy!! I just..." Draco scrunched his nose in anger and turned his head away from her gaze, his eyes landing on a wilting flower peeking from the snow. 

"Say it. Draco, say the words out loud." She ordered, his arms crossing just below her chest, her eyebrows pulling together in a tight frown as she waited for Draco to speak up. "I-" He started but closed his mouth making Pansy stand up and walk around to where his head was facing, crouching down and placing her hands on his knees. She looked at him expectantly, her expression no longer angry, it was calm and comforting, waiting patiently for Draco to say it. 

"Merlin's beard, I bloody love the prat!" He yelled, looking directly at her when he finally said it. The weight off his shoulders lessened as he looked over his expression, making sure she wasn't going to do something stupid. The smile that grew on her lips surprised Draco, but he soon felt comforted by the grin as she walked around and sat down beside him again, her head going to lean on his shoulder. "Now was that so hard?" She asked and kicked the snow away from her feet, hearing another heavy sigh leave his lips. "Yeah, it was." 

\--- 

Harry, now back in the castle, stormed up to the Gryffindor common room, his foul mood being clear as day to his two best friends who were trailing a ways behind him. They gave each other wary glances before sitting across from Harry on separate chairs, Ron's eyes averted to the ground. "Ron you bloody scared him off! You're absolutely insufferable!!" He yelled, his arms flinging up in the air as the other Gryffindors made their way up the stairs to the dorm rooms. Ron sighed and crossed his arms, finally looking up at Harry only to be met with a deadly glare from his brunette friend. "I didn't want him there, Harry! He was being a twit!!" He yelled back, Hermione staring at the exchange between them. "No, you were being a twit!" He retorted, falling back into the chair with his arms crossed. Hermione put her hands out gently, trying to settle down her boyfriend and best friend. "Calm down please, can someone explain what this is about?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. She looked over at Harry, who was staring at the fire with a newfound interest, and let out a sigh. "It's about Draco, all I did was ask if they got any sleep and he commented on all of us snoring which made him get no sleep! Honestly Harry I don't even know why you invited him! He doesn't deserve to be spoken to at all!" Ron explained and shot a glare over at Harry who started to turn red from irritation. "Ron, don't be so rude, Draco apologized to most of us at his trial! He deserves a second chance, you know he was forced into it." Hermione said before Harry could say anything to Ron he would soon regret. 

"Doesn't matter, he was an absolute prick to us from the first year to now! He hasn't changed one bit! Sure he's more concealed and doesn't talk to many people or make stupid comments in class, but anytime he opens his mouth it's disrespectful and nothing else!" He barked back, his lips in a seemingly permanent frown as Harry started to just ignore his friends. "Ron has a point, Harry. Maybe he's nice to you or something but he's still pretty snappy towards up..." Hermione said and looked over at Harry, his face being lit by the fire roaring in the fireplace. "Do you blame him though? Anytime he opens his mouth you guys take it as rude?! He was joking you know! Even I could tell!" He yelled, standing up so fast the sofa scooted back a little bit. Ron fell silent at that, looking down at the floor. "I can't stand you two right now." He grunted and grabbed the Slytherin scarf that hung on the back of the sofa. Hermione looked at it with wide eyes as Harry walked out of the common room, his cloud of emotions, mostly anger, following him out of the room. It soon fell silent, the only noise being the cracking of the fire beside Ron and Hermione, and Ron soon stood up and walked up the stairs to his dorm room. 

Harry made his way out to the main courtyard, sitting down with a bit of force on the fountain as he wrapped the scarf around his neck. He let it hand rather slack on his shoulders as he gripped it tightly, bringing it up to get a small whiff. The comforting smell of faded Red Mahogany Wood, Golden Apple, and Fresh Lavender filling his nose in an instant, and he almost buckled with how good it smelt. "Is this what he always smells like?" he asked himself and took another small whiff of the scarf before letting it go, completely infatuated with the scent. He let out a sigh and straightened his legs out, scraping the snow off the cobblestone flooring as it squeaked on his shoes. He dropped his head, the edge of the scarf hitting his exposed forehead, taking in a breath of fresh air. He heard two familiar voices approaching the courtyard, making him lift his head and look in the direction of said voices. His eyes brightened a bit and his lips curled into a smile at the sight of Draco walking towards the castle with Pansy right beside him. "Draco! Hey!" He yelled and stood up, staying put when he saw the panic in Draco's eyes and the hesitant smile on Pansy's lips. Pansy hooked her arm around Draco's and dragged him into one of the side entrances of the castle, leaving Harry completely dumbstruck and just staring stupidly towards empty space. 

What had just happened hadn't quite processed in the brunette's head, but he knew he was running after the two to try and get to Draco. When he turned the corner, he saw Draco sitting beside Pansy on an unglazed window. He smiled and walked up to him, his hand going up to give him a small wave but when Draco didn't lift his head he spoke up "Hey! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He said with a small chuckle as he bounced back and forth on his feet slightly. Pansy shot Harry a glare, a sharp one at that like she was giving him the warning to go away. Harry tried his best to ignore it as he rubbed his arm, "When do you want your hoodie back? I can go change into something else now if you want!" He said, trying to fill the awkward silence that had engulfed the three. Draco finally looked up, a frown on his lips and his eyes full of annoyance. "Sod. Off." He muttered, his voice low and clearly a warning. Harry's breath hitched in his throat at the sudden drop in an octave of Draco's tone. Was he in a bad mood? Why was he being so rude now when he was so nice this morning? "Uh... Okay... Sorry, I'll just give it to Theo if I see him..." He babbled and gave Draco one more sad look before turning on his heels and walking away, hearing Pansy talking to the blond. 

Draco licked his lips in an attempt to wet them, but soon just dropped his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. "You know, you could've been nicer, you sounded like you were going to kill him," Pansy said with a small chuckle as she looked over at the blond who clearly was not in the mood for a 'pick me up'. She stayed quiet and watched Harry walked down the hallway, seeing him glance behind him a few times before he rounded the corner in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Draco pushed himself up and started walking in the direction Harry went, the entertained expression on Pansy's face not helping his irritation. When Draco caught a glimpse of his hoodie, he thinned his lips and steadied his walking pace. "Potter!" He yelled, seeing Harry halt rather quickly but refusing to turn around. Draco walked up behind him and frantically looked around to try and get his thoughts in order. "I..." He started but closed his mouth to think about more before taking a deep breath. "Listen, I don't know what game you're trying to play, but I don't want to be friends. I don't want to start fresh, I don't want to hang out with you, and I don't want you to look at me like you always do." He explained to the back of Harry's head, watching him tense up and curl his hand into a fist. Harry spun around and looked at him straight in the eyes, a frown on his lips Draco didn't quite like. "Look at you like what!" He yelled, his eyebrows pulling together while his eyes stayed wide. "Like that. You're looking at me with so much pity." He added and felt Harry hook his hand around Draco's collar. 

"Why are you so bloody thick-headed?! I try to be nice to you, I try to start over, and you push me away with more force than the first time! What are you so afraid of?! What possibly could go wrong with starting over you twat?!" He yelled, pulling Draco forward a bit so Harry's forearm lay on Draco's chest. "Bloody Christ I just don't like you!! Why can't you understand that?!!" He retorted, his own expression contorting to irritation as he felt himself being pulled even closer. Their lips were so close, the only thing guarding them is their noses which were almost pressed firmly together. Having never seen this much rage in Harry's eyes, Draco lost his train of thought. "How do you not like me?! You were so nice this afternoon?! or this morning?! Please explain because I'm not buying it!" He groaned, his grip firm on the collar of Draco's hoodie. Draco stayed silent for a while but soon shoved Harry off his body, his breath heavy and rapid as Harry stumbled on his feet. "Stay the bloody hell away from me." He finally said and turned to walk away but Harry wasn't having. He walked quickly to the front of Draco and put his arms out, his face determined to get some answers. "Not until you tell me what you're afraid of." He said and moved anytime Draco would move. Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his hands curling into a fist as he tried to compose himself. "Get away from me." He warned, his eyes sliding open to a slightly darker grey filled with something Harry couldn't put his finger on. "No." He retorted and flinched when it seemed Draco was going in for a swing, his eyes sliding shut to brace himself for the impact.

The thing Harry didn't expect was to feel himself being pulled in and then a pair of soft lips crashing against his. His eyes slid open wide as he looked into the grey ones staring right back at him. He stood still, afraid if he moved Draco would resort to punching him instead of kissing him, and the sudden realization Draco felt was visible in his eyes. Draco pulled away quickly and covered his mouth, his eyes wide with shock of what he had just done. "Fuck... I-" He said but forced his mouth shut to turn and walk away at a fast pace. Harry stood there shocked and reached out for the open-air, "Draco, wait!" he yelled but the blond was already turning the corner. Harry pulled his hand up to his lips, touching them lightly to try and remember the feeling of the Slytherins lips on his. His cheeks heated up as he remembered the look Draco gave him as they kissed, it was a look of relief, like he had been holding that long for years. Harry stumbled down the corridor in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, still in a trance-like state as he thought about the kiss over and over again. Should he have kissed back like it didn't surprise him? Should he have pulled him in for another kiss when he had reeled back in shock? Too many questions that he couldn't answer anymore cause the moment was already over. 

When he walked into the common room, Hermione twisted around to look at him with a smile. "You didn't take long to come back, are you calm now?" She asked, but fell silent at the shock on Harry's face. She stood up and walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders with a sentimental look on her face. "What happened?" She asked, tilting her head to the side the look over Harry's face and expression a bit better. "He kissed me..." He mumbled and went up to touch his lips again, Hermione's eyes going wide. "What?! who?!" She asked, watching his every action like a hawk. "Draco... Shit, 'mione, he's never going to talk to me again! He thinks he messed up! but..." He said but his voice soon went silent as he looked around the common room to make sure they were alone. She was waiting patiently, but still had the confused look on her face and question in her eyes. "I think I like him..." He admitted quietly, leaning in a bit just to be sure. Hermione stayed silent for a while, before nodding slowly and dragging Harry to one of the sofas by the fire. She sat him down and took her seat beside him, pressing her knees together and resting her hands on them. 

"You like him?" She asked, almost to completely understand what Harry was saying. He only nodded and looked at the calm flames in the fireplace. "And he kissed you? What did you do?" she questioned, rubbing her knees a little to try and stop her hands from becoming clammy from the heat of the flames. "I just stood there. I didn't know what to do. But I didn't hate it... I liked it actually... But he just ran off before I could say anything." He explained and looked over Hermione's expression after turning his head to face her. She hummed and brought her hand up to play with her curls. "Okay, so that just means we need to make up a plan. Tomorrow is Sunday, so it's going to be easy for him to avoid you. Monday he has to go to classes, so try to talk to him in any classes you have. Maybe invite him to Hogsmeade without us? Just you two drinking? If he accepts great! If he doesn't... Well then I can try to get him to the library to 'study with me' and you can come in and talk to him there!" She explained, clasping her hands together with a bright smile and something mischievous in her eyes. Harry nodded, trying to pile all the information she said in his messy brain. "Okay, so try to ask him out on- Hermione you want me to ask him out on a date?!" he asked, his voice raising an octave or two and his cheeks heating up with a pink hue. Hermione's smile stayed on her lips as she nodded and rubbed Harry's shoulder gently. "Yes! Exactly a date! And if that doesn't work then we can do the plan B! which is the library one." She confirmed and looked around the common room, yet again making sure they were alone. 

Harry rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sigh, his lips still tingling a bit from the kiss as he licked them to feel how chapped they were. "Okay, I'll try. What if he just doesn't come to classes?" He asked and rubbed his hands together nervously, hearing Hermione hum beside him. "Well, we'll work on that if it happens." She answered and stood up, looking down at Harry who still looked out of it. "How was it?" She asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a gentle jab to his side with her elbow. "His lips are... really soft, like little clouds." He mumbled as he reminded himself of the feeling of Draco's lips on his and the look of relief in his eyes. Hermione giggled and tugged a strand of Harry's hair. "Alright lover boy, go do some studying and no kissing thoughts," Hermione said with a wink as she sauntered up the stairs to the dorms. "Hey, 'mione!" Harry yelled, trying to catch her attention before she walked down the hall. Hermione peaked her head from the stairs, waiting for Harry to say something. "Maybe don't tell Ron just yet." He quickly said, watching her face twist to one of fondness as she nodded and started her way back up the steps. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! So, I'm really sorry this chapter is a tiny bit shorter than the others, I wanna leave everything else for a separate chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!! 
> 
> ♥♥♥


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